Necromancy
by hopelessanimeromantic
Summary: Necromancy is the process of reanimating the dead, and in this case the one that was reanimated was none other than Eugene Davis. What will Naru do now that his brother is once again in the realm of the living? What will Mai do now that she comes face to face with both Davis brothers?
1. Chapter 1

Thunder rumbled across the night sky, which served to create an ominous atmosphere. A man wearing black robes chanted as he held a dagger in his hands. He stood on the ground dangerously close to the lake. The water reflected the raging atmosphere, yet the man didn't stop in his ministrations.

A young man lay unconscious on a slightly elevated platform. His hands were bound in front of him. His legs were tightly wrapped by layers of tape, and his mouth was gagged. Beside him on the floor was a body bag, yet it was closed so that it didn't reveal who was inside. They were surrounded by white candles and strange markings on the floor. Several objects and black candles were also placed around the body.

A muffled cry from a tree briefly caught the man's attention. He smirked ominously at the brunette that struggled against her binds. She was tied to a tree, and she also wore a tight gag on her mouth. Tears fell from her eyes as the man continued his chanting. She shook her head as his chanting appeared to reach its climax. He opened the body bag and a rotting corpse was revealed.

He then approached her and cut her cheek. Blood smeared on the blade as he once again approached the unconscious man.

"…Arise, I call out to thee Eugene Davis, the spirit whom I seek. Spirit of the dead and guardian of one Mai Taniyama, I invoke thee. You may now approach this gate and leech on the life of this man for thy vessel." He promptly stabbed the young man, who opened his eyes as he let out a silent scream. The brunette once again cried out in shock and despair. "Quiet now Mai, you're interrupting the ritual."

The corpse began to glow ominously as the young man started getting his life force taken out of him. His eyes grew dull as the corpse began rejuvenating, showing beautiful pale skin and black hair. Mai continued crying as she felt Gene's spirit appearing. He seemed to be in a trance. She unsuccessfully tried to gain his attention as he approached his body.

The man got an insane look on his eyes when he saw the apparition.

"Thou art the dead I seek, Eugene Davis. Now answer to my calling and return to thy body." Mai watched in shock as Gene's spirit reconnected with his body.

Blue eyes opened slowly and Mai watched with growing fear as he sat upright. He blinked as he stood. The man continued with his chanting, while Mai watched in astonishment. She had never before expected to witness the reanimation of a corpse.

"Eugene, now listen to my bidding," the man said once he concluded his chant. The handsome youth turned to the necromancer. "Bring me the woman."

Mai gasped when Gene turned to her. Her heart began to pound as she struggled against her bindings. He awkwardly walked up to her since his body and spirit were still getting used to being reconnected. Her words were muffled as she begged Gene to snap out of it. Once he was in front of her, he spoke.

"Mai," he whispered her name softly. His voice was gruff and barely understandable, yet she understood.

Her eyes widened as she saw recognition in his blue eyes. Gene then turned to the necromancer and frowned. The man sputtered as he wasn't expecting Gene to be cognizant.

"I don't understand," he said as Gene watched him seriously.

"You overestimated your abilities," Gene said in the same gruff voice. "My spirit can't be controlled by the likes of you." He took a threatening step towards the man, as he picked up the previously discarded dagger.

The man, sensing the threat, took off running. Gene made no move to run after him since he knew that he didn't have the capability to catch him, not now when he was still getting used to his body. Once the man was out of sight, he turned to Mai, who still eyed him incredulously.

"Mai," he called to her, and she flinched. He winced at her reaction, but he had to admit that it was a completely normal reaction. He untied her as he felt a wave of exhaustion take over.

"Gene? Are you alright?" She asked as she too felt a sudden wave of weariness. Both of them leaned on the tree tiredly. He nodded as his head slumped and landed on her shoulder.

"Mai!" the loud cry of Takigawa caught her attention as she tiredly turned to him. Ayako, John and Yasuhara ran up to them with evident panic.

"We're here," she cried out as loudly as she could.

Their expressions lightened when they realized that she was relatively unharmed. Once they were close enough to witness the ritualistic set up, Ayako's eyes scanned the ritual platform. She let out a loud scream when she took in the corpse of their client's son. Takigawa turned away in shock, while John started praying. Yasu also turned away. He prompted to check on Mai, and when he did, he noticed that she wasn't alone.

Ayako turned to him and followed his line of sight. She, too, took in the appearance of the young man lying beside the tired brunette.

"Naru?" Ayako asked in surprise.

"No, not Naru," Mai mumbled tiredly. By this point, Gene had already passed out. John and Takigawa turned to them in confusion. "Gene," she whispered as she blacked out. The last thing she heard before she passed out were the loud sirens from the police.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much for reading my story. Hope you like this chapter :D

Five days later, the pair was still unconscious. They both lay on Mai's bed, much to Takigawa's displeasure. Ayako sat next to Mai as she ran her fingers through the brunette's short hair. The males sat on chairs by their bedside.

Yasu stroked his chin in deep thought, while John continued watching Gene thoughtfully. The pale youth had recovered color over the days. His lips had been dull and lifeless, but now they were a healthy pink. It still unnerved them to see that Naru's twin was alive and well.

"We can't avoid the subject anymore," Yasu commented as he looked from Mai to Gene.

"I agree," Ayako said as she looked up from Mai to the bespectacled teen.

"He's leeching off of Mai's life force," Yasu observed and John nodded, they had reached the same conclusion. He swore after a few moments of silence. "Guys this shit is hardcore. That man performed necromancy, he completely reanimated a corpse. Never in my research have I come across someone that has completely and successfully revived a person that way."

"It is serious, and to be honest, I'm a bit nervous about Gene. Who knows what attitude he'll take when he wakes up," John quipped nervously.

"Should we inform Naru about the situation?" Ayako asked.

"And tell him what? Hey, big boss I know it may sound crazy, but your dead twin brother was reanimated from the dead two months after you buried him. How, you may ask? Well the necromancer first dug up your brother's grave and took his body. Then he stalked an innocent boy and sacrificed him to revive Gene. But don't worry, it seems that he's fine as long as Mai is there to anchor him to the world of the living," Yasu said in an uncharacteristic display of exasperation.

Nobody could blame him though. They were all running on very little sleep after it had happened. They had to answer questions from the police, and then they had remained by Mai and Gene's side. They had originally tried to separate them, but Gene had started thrashing violently. He only calmed when he was placed next to Mai.

They had also spent an ample amount of time researching necromancy. However, they had been unsuccessful with finding in depth information.

Had they known that the case was this dangerous, they never would have accepted it. Better yet, they would have taken the case more seriously.

 _(Flashback)_

 _Mai looked around their client's house, hoping to get a feel of the house. Her eyes then landed on their client's son, Kintaro. He had huge bags under his eyes, and he appeared to be searching for something. He covered his ears with his hands._

 _"Are you alright?" Mai asked the sixteen year old boy. He shook his head as he looked around the house in paranoia._

 _"I hear a voice in my head," he whispered to her. Mai's eyes softened as she took his hands in hers. "It won't stop," he cried as she gave him a comforting embrace. "He said I was going to be sacrificed."_

 _"This kid needs to see a psychiatrist," Ayako commented as she turned to the boy's parents. "I don't think there's anything haunting him."_

 _"He's not crazy," his mother defended him. "A spirit is haunting him."_

 _John and Takigawa exchanged pitying glances as they once again looked at the boy. Yasu observed him thoughtfully; he mostly believed that the boy was suffering from schizophrenia. However, he would give them the benefit of the doubt._

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 _"Mai," the brunette looked up from the computer monitor as she saw Ayako watching her seriously. "We need to pack up and leave. Clearly this kid needs more professional help."_

 _"But he needs our help. We can't just leave him," Mai objected. "I know he's not crazy, Ayako. Something is wrong, Gene feels it too."_

 _"We've been here for six days, and the only danger that I sense is him," Ayako tried to reason with her, but Mai shook her head stubbornly._

 _"Jou-chan, I hate to admit it, but the old lady is right. There's nothing here," Takigawa frowned. John and Yasu remained silent. It was evident that they agreed with them._

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 _"You're leaving then?" Kintaro asked softly. Mai looked down in shame and nodded._

 _"I'm so sorry, but the others don't think that there's a spirit," Mai admitted in a whisper._

 _"It's okay, I'm just glad that you believed in me, Mai," he smiled warmly at her. He then looked around the room in alarm. "The voice is back," he observed._

 _"What does it say?" Mai asked him as she felt chills._

 _"That it's time," he said in fright. That's when Mai noticed the fumes in the room. She gasped as she instinctively covered her mouth. Kintaro's body dropped loudly as he passed out. Mai looked at him as her vision also became blurry. Then she sunk into oblivion._

Mai's hand began to twitch as she slowly regained consciousness. Next to her, Gene was also showing signs of waking. Everyone waited with baited breaths as they opened their eyes. Ayako helped Mai sit upright as Gene sat up by himself.

"Oh, thank goodness," Ayako said as she tightly embraced Mai. Mai blinked tiredly as Gene looked around disoriented.

"Gene," Mai called out to him. Her former spirit guide turned to her, and she realized that none of it had been a dream. Her eyes watered as she remembered Kintaro.

He had been sacrificed. She had always known that he wasn't crazy. She wiped her tears as she gave a small smile to Gene. She didn't want to cry in front of him since she knew that he would feel responsible for Kintaro's death. She would mourn for him at another time.

"Mai," Gene croaked as John handed them each a glass of water. They drank eagerly. However, Gene paused after a moment as he stared at his hands. He seemed to be in awe as he opened and closed his fingers. The others remained silent as they got up to give them some space.

"I'll go prepare you both a shower," Ayako said as she abruptly stood. She placed a tender kiss on Mai's forehead. "You stink," she teased. Mai blushed in embarrassment, while Gene still seemed to be transfixed by his hands.

"I'll go prepare something to eat," Takigawa said as John stood up to help him. "I'm sure you're hungry."

"And I'll see what I can do about clothes for Gene," Yasu said as he also left.

Once they were both alone, Mai turned to Gene. She smiled as she saw the wonder in his face. His hand then grasped a mirror that was in a table by the bedside. He eyed himself in disbelief as he touched his face reverently. He then frowned as he recalled that he was living on a borrowed life. He remembered everything, down to the sacrifice that was required to bring him back from the dead.

"Careful, people might get the wrong idea and start calling you a narcissist," Mai teased, hoping to distract him from his solemn thoughts. He finally put down the mirror and turned to her.

He gave her a small smile and for a moment she was caught off guard. She knew it was Gene, but it was so easy to imagine that it was Naru.

Naru, he was the man that she had hopelessly fallen in love with, yet it was obvious that he didn't reciprocate her feelings. He had been in England for two months, and she had emailed him once or twice a week during that time. However, he never responded, not that she expected him to. He must have been annoyed by her emails.

She shook her head to remove those dark thoughts from her head.

Speaking of Naru, had the others informed him about the situation already?

She opened her mouth to voice her concern, but she wasn't able to since Ayako walked in to inform her that her bath was ready. As Mai stood and made her trek to the bathroom, Ayako's eyes were fixed on Gene. She wanted to see his reaction to the separation since he hadn't taken it well a few days ago. Unsurprisingly, he flinched as he placed a hand on his head.

"Are you alright?" Ayako asked him, although she already knew the answer to that question.

"I suddenly felt exhausted," he admitted as he stood. She offered him her shoulder to lean on, and she was surprised that he readily accepted. She had to remember that this was Naru's twin, not Naru himself. According to Mai, Gene was the more sociable twin.

Ayako led him to the hallway and his frown disappeared when they passed by the restroom. Fortunately, he didn't pass out during the duration of Mai's shower or his shower.

When he came out of the bathroom wearing Yasu's clothes, everyone could only gawk. Even Mai was taken aback by how great he looked. He wore navy jeans and a bright red shirt, something that they had never seen on Naru before.

Yes, it would definitely take some getting used to.

Throughout dinner, Mai couldn't help but notice that the others all seemed to be walking on eggshells around Gene. They appeared to distrust him, and she couldn't blame them. However, she knew that they were making Gene feel terrible.

It was Yasu that broke the silence.

"Gene, what will you do now?" he asked him. Gene paused in his eating and appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Will you call your brother to inform him about the situation?"

So they hadn't told Naru, Mai thought to herself. She then turned to Gene, who was still silent. The others all looked at him curiously.

"No, I don't want Noll involved in all of this just yet. I want to discover as much as I can about that necromancer. He seemed to know me well, and I admit that he was very familiar," Gene admitted. "I know you're all skeptical about me, and I can't blame you. The possibilities of someone coming back to life are close to impossible, and while I can't make any assumptions, I'm sure that he needs me for something."  
"And did you feel like your thoughts upon waking were somehow …different?" John asked cautiously.

"I know what you mean father, and no I don't. I'm fully aware of what I'm doing, my actions are my own. I won't go murdering in your sleep, so don't worry about that. I won't eat your brains either," he joked.

Yasu chuckled, and like that, the ice was broken. Takigawa and Ayako looked at each other and nodded. They turned to Gene and smiled. John also gave him a warm inviting smile.

"So I'm sure you've realized that you and Mai can't be separated," Yasu commented and Gene nodded, he had also come to that conclusion. "That pretty much solves the dilemma on where you'll be staying."

"If Mai doesn't mind," Gene said as he timidly looked at the brunette. Mai smiled at him and shook her head.

"You can stay here as long as you'd like." Yasu looked between the two of them and smirked.

"What will we do about his identity? We can't just get all his documents back since you know…," Takigawa trailed off awkwardly, but he did make a good point.

"Oh, I'm sure we can come up with something," Yasu smirked as his glasses glinted, shielding his eyes from their view. Mai and Gene exchanged glances. Should they be worried?

Meanwhile in England, Naru looked at himself in the mirror of his room. He had been calling out to Gene for a whole week since he had had an odd feeling. However, his brother had yet to make an appearance. Naru had a theory that his brother had passed on to the afterlife, but that didn't feel right. Something had happened, of that he was certain.

His hand hovered over his cell phone. His fingers scrolled through the contacts, but they paused when he came across Mai's name. He debated on whether or not to call her, but he decided against it. He didn't know if he was ready to talk to her again. Mai may think that he rejected her, but from his point of view, she rejected him. Her silence was a clear indicator about her feelings, not that he could blame her. People usually preferred Gene anyways. He should have been used to it by now.

And yet.

It hurt coming from her.

"Noll? Are you alright?" His mother's voice snapped him out of it, so he turned to look at her. "Your father wanted to inform you that there's a case. He was wondering if you would like to go."

Naru nodded and walked downstairs. He saw his father, who was speaking with Lin. They were sitting in his father's study room, and they seemed to be engrossed in a discussion about the case. He also saw Masako sitting eloquently in one of his father's chairs.

She had decided to follow him to England when he left. He had ignored her presence throughout his stay in England, and it annoyed him that she still couldn't leave him alone.

When she saw him, her eyes brightened.

"Naru," she called out to him calmly, though happily. Luella looked between her son and the Japanese girl. She felt sorry for the girl since her son was always so indifferent towards her. Luella always tried to be warm and inviting to her to make up for her son's indifference. She held a small hope that her son would one day reciprocate the young medium's feelings since heaven knows that her son always pushed people away.

"Miss Hara, you should join them on the case," Luella said warmly. Masako smiled politely as she inwardly felt satisfaction. It was evident that Naru's mother approved of her. Martin also seemed to be somewhat intrigued by her powers, so she felt like her hope of being with Naru grow.

Lin gave her a sideways glance. He didn't show any outward expression to indicate his stance on her sudden appearance. However, his eyes told a different story. He wasn't pleased by her presence, and quite frankly, she didn't care. What mattered was that she had Naru within her grasp, and she had no intentions of letting go. Not now that Mai was out of the picture.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you so much for those that have read my story. Hope you all like this chapter :D

The SPR office was loud and in a state of disorder as the workers were all engaged in a game of Twister. Takigawa and Yasu were playing while the rest were spectators. Mai giggled as she spun the spinner.

"Left hand blue," she said as she chuckled. Yasu moved his hand, while Takigawa flinched. Takigawa's body was upright. His hand and legged were somewhat tangled, while Yasuhara hovered over him. The monk moved his hand and his body wobbled. He was having trouble keeping his balance.

"Be careful my love, you might trip," Yasu teased with a smirk. Everyone, including John, started chuckling. Ayako cackled as she saw the Monk's determination to win waver.

"Right foot green," Mai called out.

"What's going on here?" Gene's voice boomed seriously. Everyone turned to him in shock; they hadn't meant to disturb him while he was working. He glared at them seriously. "You are all playing Twister without me?" he asked in mock hurt.

"Gosh, don't do that again Gene, you sound just like Naru. You gave us quite a scare," Yasu whined since he and Takigawa had lost their balance. Gene chuckled.

"Serves you right for not inviting me to play," he grinned. Mai giggled as he turned to her.

After Yasu had appeared with a fake identity for Gene, he had taken over SPR. With permission from Martin Davis, they took over SPR and reopened the office. Gene was notably more knowledgeable in the supernatural than they were, so naturally he was their leader. They hadn't been in a case as of yet since they had barely opened the office for a week. Before, Mai and the rest had only been going on cases that were given to John.

It had been a month since Gene's resurrection and everyday he could move farther way from Mai. He could be two rooms away from her without feeling exhausted. He knew that Mai was his anchor to the living world, so he couldn't help but feel grateful for her and Kintaro.

Kintaro.

He was the real sacrifice for his revival. No matter how much he wanted to, he wouldn't easily forget about the boy whose life was cut short for his sake. Mai had been devastated when she visited his grave. They had also run into Kintaro's parents, who fortunately didn't blame them. In fact, they felt responsible for not realizing that someone had been stalking their son.

The police were still searching for the necromancer, but so far there weren't any hints. The only thing that Gene was basing himself off of was that the necromancer had been in England. He had dug up his body and brought it to Japan. Yasu had researched on the men that had traveled from England to Japan during that time. Unfortunately, there were more names than what they had initially anticipated. Therefore, they were still searching.  
"Gene," he jumped as Mai pulled him out of his thoughts. "We have a client," she informed him with a small smile.

"Of course," he blinked and turned to the pale young woman sitting on the couch. She looked up nervously at him as he sat down. Gene turned to Yasu meaningfully, and the bespectacled teen nodded. The college student pulled out a laptop and created a file for the possible case. Takigawa, Ayako and John stayed by Mai's desk, giving them space to talk to the client.

"My name is Aya Nakamura, and I heard that this place can offer me help with ghosts." the woman spoke nervously as she gratefully accepted Mai's tea. Mai smiled and took a seat next to Gene.

"You heard correctly, now would you please inform us about the problems that you have encountered," Gene urged her politely.

The woman nodded as she blushed at the handsome youth. Mai noticed and mentally sighed. Of course Gene was popular with the ladies, even more so than Naru since his personality was warm and inviting.

"My father owns a large ranch where we used to keep animals. However, we've noticed that the animals were either scared off or found with their throats slit open. We had originally thought that it was the neighbors, but then the attacks started happening to us. Our house is by a small lake, and I swear that I felt someone pulling me under," she shook as she recounted the events.

Mai put a comforting hand on her shoulder, while Gene waited patiently for her to continue.

"Everyone says we're crazy and that we're making it up, but I know that there's something evil there," she said as she took off her boots. Mai watched as she revealed her legs only to expose a bruise that looked suspiciously like a hand print. "This happened two days ago. Since then, my brother received scratches all over his back."

Mai felt for her and turned to Gene, hoping that he accepted the case. Feeling her eyes on him, Gene looked up at Mai. He smiled as he recognized her determination.

"We'll take your case, Nakamura-san. Please prepare three rooms for us, and we'll see you first thing tomorrow morning." Mai smiled at Gene's response.

"Thank you so much…umm…"

"Shibuya… Kazuma Shibuya," Gene supplied as he remembered his new identity. "Forgive my lack of manners; these are my two colleagues Mai Taniyama and Osamu Yasuhara. Over there by the desk are John Brown, Houshou Takigawa and Ayako Matsuzaki."

The woman nodded though she didn't turn to look at any of them. She was still transfixed by Gene's face. Noticing her attention, he gave her a small smile as he escorted her out.

"Someone's popular with the ladies," Yasu smirked and turned to Mai. Mai didn't show any signs of jealousy, to his disappointment. Yasu had wanted Mai to start looking at Gene as a possible boyfriend, but it was obvious that the brunette still held strong feelings for Naru.

What she saw in the aloof twin, he didn't know.

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By the next day, the group was excited on going on a case with Gene. They had heard that he was the perfect medium, so they all wanted to see him in action. Mai rolled her eyes as Takigawa made a point of staring at Gene in admiration.

They were going in two separate vehicles since the equipment took up a lot of space. Ayako, Yasu and John rode in one van, while Mai, Gene and Takigawa rode on the second one. Takigawa was driving and Mai sat in the passenger seat. Gene sat on the back as he stared outside the window.

"What do you two think about the case?" Takigawa asked conversationally.

"Based on the case report, I was able to gather information about a man named Hiro Saito. In the late 1930s, he lured people into his home, only for him to kill them later. It was speculated that cannibalism was involved, though there wasn't sufficient evidence. He burned himself alive to prevent persecution from the law," Gene answered as he looked at the fields.

The closer they got to their clients home, the further they moved from civilization. Mai shivered at the realization.

"That's interesting; could this Hiro guy be our ghost?" Takigawa asked as he made a turn.

"He could be, though more evidence is required to make that assumption. I also found a police report about a woman named Miho Itoshima from 1953. It was said that she found out that her husband cheated on her with the housekeeper. In retaliation, she killed them both. I won't go into details, but the bodies were hard to identify after she was done with them. Afterwards, she committed suicide by drowning herself in the lake," Gene said as Mai quivered at the thought.

The rest of the ride was spent by both Mai's and Monk's enthusiastic singing. Gene laughed at their off key singing, and soon he also joined in on the singing.

Once they reached the ranch, Takigawa frowned, all signs of laughter gone. The vegetation was dying and only the sounds of crows could be heard. There were no signs of the animals that Aya had mentioned.

The white two story house looked like it could use a paint job. The lake could be seen in the distance, though the morning light only served to make it look ominous.

Mai got out of the car and then turned to Gene, who seemed to be in deep thought. He slowly got out of the vehicle and observed his surroundings. Takigawa had already gone ahead, so it was just the two of them.

Together they walked past the house to get a feel of the place. In the back of the house, they had a clear view of the lake and the barn. The door to the barn squeaked as the wind blew the door open. Mai watched the door warily and then turned to her companion.

"Do you feel anything?" Mai asked as the medium looked around.

"I see a dark energy emanating from the lake and from the inside of the house. I also sense a presence by the barn, though she feels harmless," Gene said as he looked around, his eyes lingering on the lake before moving elsewhere. Mai found her eyes drawn to the water as well. "There are multiple spirits here. It's difficult to tell how many from this distance."

Mai kept looking at the lake. She felt something trapping her gaze there. Her eyes widened when she saw the ominous head of a woman surfacing from the water. Dark eyes looked into hers as Mai jumped back in fright.

"Mai," Gene whispered as he also saw the spirit. Mai turned away and looked into Gene's eyes.

"She doesn't want us here," Mai informed him in fright. Gene stared at the ghost until she disappeared back inside the water.

"They never do," he told her solemnly. "Come, let's set up base," he led her inside the house. They walked in through the back door and easily found their base.

"Took you lovers long enough," Ayako teased as Yasu and John brought in the equipment. Takigawa lazily sat on a chair.

"Yeah, if you two are going to do unseemly things, do it when we're not on a case," Yasu joined in on the teasing.

Mai blushed in embarrassment, while Gene ignored them as he pulled out some cameras. His eyes scanned their base as he started connecting and setting up the monitors.

"W-we were just getting a feel of the place," she stuttered.

"I'm sure you and Gene were getting a thorough feel of _other_ things," Yasu and Ayako chuckled. Mai's cheeks flushed as Gene's eyes widened at their insinuations.

"Look at our little Mai, she's blushing already," Ayako chuckled as she turned to Gene. "Our Eugene seems a bit flustered, too."

Gene suddenly paused in his work and turned to Ayako and Yasu. He gave them a small devious smirk.

"Why don't you go set up this camera by the barn, Ayako? I'm sure it will be easy for you and Yasu." Mai turned to Gene as she raised an eyebrow. Hadn't he felt a lingering spirit there?

"Are you kidding me? By the barn?" Her nose wrinkled in disgust. Gene's eyes twinkled in amusement. Takigawa and John merely watched, not wanting to get involved.

"Now wait just a minute boss, you surely don't mean that creepy barn at the back," Yasu gulped.

"Would you prefer by the lake then? I believe Mai and I saw a malignant spirit there earlier. You know…when we were doing unseemly things. Though I must admit, it did interrupt our thorough explorations," Gene grinned as Ayako sputtered.

She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Yasu's phone started ringing.

"Saved by the bell," he chuckled as he excused himself to take the call. Everyone watched him go with mild curiosity, though their attention was drawn back to the appearance of their client.

"Shibuya-san, I'm so glad that you and your team made it here safely," their client, Aya, walked in with some refreshments. Unlike her first appearance, her hair was stylishly curled this time. She was also wearing a beautiful red dress with matching shoes and breathtaking makeup. It was evident that she had put in some effort into her appearance. "Do you need help with anything?"

"No, my team and I have everything covered," Gene smiled at her. Just as he finished those words, the lights started flickering. Then a loud creak had them turn to the rocking chair. It rocked back and forth violently. Aya screamed in terror and grabbed onto Gene's shoulder.

Gene's eyes focused on the spirit of the man sitting on the chair. His skin was terribly burned, and he grinned, exposing his yellowed teeth. John instantly pulled out his holy water and started praying. The spirit eyed Gene maliciously. His eyes slowly trailed behind Gene, to Mai, and then he disappeared.

"It seems these spirits are far from shy," Gene said as he turned to Mai, who was still staring at the rocking chair. The brunette had felt a cold chill travel through her body. Her instincts warned her about the impending danger.

"S-spirits?" Aya asked in terror. "You mean there is more than one?"

"Five to be exact," Gene answered. "Mai, John please set up the cameras. Ayako and Takigawa, I want you both to set protective spells around base."

"What about me boss?" Yasu asked as he walked back into the room.

"I want you to look up more information on Hiro Saito," Gene told him as he looked around thoughtfully. "And perhaps more information on people that lived here before Saito."

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Naru looked at his cell phone thoughtfully as he ended his call. Lin gave him a sideways glance as noticed his charge seemed to be lost in thought. Next to him, Masako also looked at Naru curiously.

Ever since he had heard from his father that someone else had joined the SPR group, he was livid. It didn't sit well with him that a stranger was taking his place. According to Yasu, they were already in a case with their new addition. Naru would sooner die than allow an amateur to lead his team.

Naru frowned as he recalled the way that Yasu described his new boss. " _He's just as handsome as you big boss, and Mai has taken quite a liking to him."_ Yasu's words echoed in his mind. Naru subconsciously tightened his hold on his cellphone.

"Sir, I would ask you to please put your phone on airplane mode since we're about to take off," an oblivious flight attendant said cheerily. However, her conviction wavered when he looked up. The handsome youth emanated an intimidating aura as his cold eyes looked into hers. She felt nervous as he continued to regard her coolly.

She nervously excused herself as the airplane took off.

It's destination, Japan.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Once again, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read my story. :D

Mai finished setting up the last camera pointing towards the lake. Her eyes were once again drawn to the murky water. The ominous spirit of a woman had appeared from there earlier, which meant that she and John had to tread carefully. Her instincts kept warning her to back away from the water, and she wasn't about to go against them.

"We're finished here," John said eagerly. Mai turned to him and smiled. However, their happy moment was ruined when the doors to the barn slammed shut. Mai and John exchanged glances.

"Gene felt a presence in the barn earlier, though he claims she's harmless," Mai informed the blond.

"Then we should leave her alone for now," John smiled at the brunette. Together they started making their way back to the house. However, the door slammed open, starling them both. Now feeling highly alert, Mai took a step towards the barn.

"I think she wants us to go in there," Mai observed, and John nodded in agreement.

"Should we go in?" John asked as he turned to Mai. She nodded in response. "Allow me to go in first," he said as he bravely went in.

Mai went after him and took the time to survey the surroundings. The barn itself was large, which made the lack of animals obvious. Aya had mentioned that the animals either ran off or were killed, so it wasn't really surprising. However, the emptiness made the place feel eerie.

John looked around as Mai closed her eyes getting a feel of the place. Gene had been giving her tips on how to better concentrate, and she was implementing what she had learned. Her eyes opened when she felt the temperature of the room drop.

"John-"

"I know, I feel it too," John said as he looked around warily.

Mai's heart began to pound when she felt something cold brushing against her leg. She moved from her spot uneasily, hoping it was a rat. Unfortunately, when she moved, she once again felt a cold brush against her hand. Finally, with dread, she looked down. When she looked down, she let out a loud scream.

John quickly turned to Mai, and his eyes widened when he noticed that a small figure had latched onto his friend. It disappeared as soon as he had turned, so the young priest looked at the frightened brunette.

"Are you alright?" He asked her when she started trembling.

Mai nodded as she numbly looked at her cold hands. She had seen the spirit of a child. He had clung to her as he looked at her in the eyes. However, he had been disfigured, so it was difficult to make out his features. He had also been drenched in blood, which indicated that it had been a gruesome death.

"Mai-"

"We should head back to base," she said as she attempted to keep her emotions at bay. John could do nothing but agree.

They walked back inside base in silence as Mai kept silent after the encounter. John kept his mouth shut, knowing that she needed some time to sort out her emotions.

Once they were inside the house, Mai gasped and ran to Gene. The blue eyed teen was leaning against the wall as he panted for breath. Aya was next to him looking at him in concern. Two other people were in the room, but Mai paid them no mind when she noticed Gene's labored breathing.

"Mai," Gene called out to her when he saw her. Aya's eyes widened as Mai walked past her. Once she was near him, he let out a sigh of relief. He was drenched in sweat, but she didn't care as she allowed his forehead to slump on her shoulder. She couldn't deny that her heart jolted at the action. Gene looked just like Naru, so her traitorous heart kept imagining that it was him. She knew he wasn't Naru, but for a moment, it really felt like she was with him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to leave you for so long," Mai looked down in shame. How could she have forgotten? They couldn't stay apart from each other for long periods of time. Even worse, she had gone farther than she should have.

"It's okay, just stay with me," he whispered as he allowed her to lead him to the couch. He sat down as he slowly regained some color.

Ayako and Yasu walked into base with a bandaged monk. His neck was completely wrapped as he coughed for breath. Mai looked at them in concern.

"What happened?" John asked worriedly before Mai could open her mouth.

"We had a surprising visitor when Takigawa and I were working on the wards," Ayako informed them. "The spirit of a woman viciously attacked him. She managed to scratch his skin as she tried to strangle him."

"Are you alright?" Mai asked him in concern.

"Don't worry Jou-chan, I'm fine," he rasped out as he went into another coughing fit.

"The stupid monk wanted to check up on you when he should be resting," Ayako said as she glared at him.

Mai smiled at his thoughtfulness. He didn't leave until he was sure that Mai was safe. Yasu and Ayako then escorted him back to his room, leaving them with the rest of the occupants of the room.

Mai finally turned to their client, who was glaring at her. Mai mentally sighed as she realized her problem. Gene had yet to move away from her. He was clearly feeling better, but he seemed to be comfortable where he was. He kept his body pressed against her. His eyes were closed as he still felt a bit weary from their separation.

Mai's eyes then traveled to the two individuals that she had seen earlier. Another woman around Aya's age was regarding her coolly, while the young man watched her with a small smile. They all looked alike, so Mai realized that those were Aya's siblings.

"This is Touya Nakamura and Emmi Nakamura, Nakamura-san's siblings," Gene introduced them. Mai nodded to them politely and only Touya returned the gesture.

"Hello, I'm Taniyama Mai," she introduced herself as she stood. She offered them her hand to shake, but Emmi turned away from her rudely. Touya smiled politely and shook her hand, while Aya excused herself to make some tea.

Emmi did go up to John to shake his hand, which was a clear message that she wasn't welcome.

Mai kept her mouth shut since she didn't want to give SPR a bad name. However, on the inside she was fuming. Both sisters didn't like her and they didn't try to hide that fact from her.

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By the end of the day, John sat in front of the monitors. He and Yasu had gone back to the barn to install a camera since they were interested in the spirit of the child. Gene had yet to come across that spirit, so he was also interested.

Yasu sat next to the young priest as he started typing away a report of the case. He wrote down everything that had occurred that day, down to the most miniscule detail.

Mai was impressed that the bespectacled youth was completely immersed in his work. He seemed to be taking his job very seriously since he barely even blinked as he typed the case report.

Gene sorted through some newspaper articles searching for the identities of the remaining three spirits. However, the amount of crimes in the barn had been more than they had anticipated. Gene wanted to discover their identities as soon as possible so that he could help them move on.

Seeing as the men were preoccupied, Mai and Ayako excused themselves. They both took turns showering, and then they went to bed. Their room only had one queen sized bed for them to share, but neither of them minded. Ayako watched Mai as she brushed her hair. She wore an overgrown shirt and baggy shorts, nothing eye catching compared to Ayako's silky camisole and shorts pajamas. However, to the priestess, Mai was so much more beautiful.

Mai allowed herself to fall on the bed carelessly, oblivious to the red-heads thoughts. She fell asleep within seconds as her body recuperated from the day's events. Ayako continued observing Mai with a frown; it seemed that her separation from Gene was wearing her. While Ayako couldn't blame him, she felt a bit upset that he kept draining Mai's energy. The poor girl was completely exhausted, yet she hadn't complained the whole day.

"Stupid girl," Ayako whispered as she smiled lovingly at Mai. She then followed the brunette's example and fell asleep peacefully.

Unfortunately, Mai's dreams were anything but peaceful.

 _Mai's eyes looked around the room in confusion since Ayako was no longer by her side. The room also seemed different than what she remembered. Her eyes looked around suspiciously as she got up from bed. She peeked her head outside her room and saw a child through her peripheral vision._

 _Mai turned and the child took off running. Confused, Mai followed after him. The child had run towards the barn. Mai paused as she saw the ominous building and wondered whether she should follow. Her curiosity won over and she walked in._

 _However, the sight that met her had her covering her mouth in horror. The little boy was tied up and gagged as his tearful eyes locked onto the imposing figure above him. His skin was horribly bruised and scarred. He also had fresh blood tricking down his nose._

 _The sounds of horses whining didn't seem to affect the man as he pulled out a shovel. The little boy cried as he helplessly struggled against his binds._

 _Mai's eyes widened as she understood what the man was going to do. She desperately cried out to get his attention in order to save the child. However, her cries were ignored as the man beat him with the shovel. Blood splattered all over her as Mai cried._

 _"Please, stop! Leave him alone! He's just a child." Mai wept as she hovered over the boy to protect him, but it was useless. This was a memory after all. She couldn't stop the deadly blows that the man delivered to the child, who looked no more than five years old._

 _"Oh God!" A woman's horrified drew Mai's and the man's attention. The raven haired woman screamed in anguish and anger as she took in the sight of her now deceased son. "You bastard!" She screamed as she pulled out a rifle and pulled the trigger with no hesitation._

 _Unfortunately, it seemed as if the man had quick reflexes since he moved out of the way, preventing the bullet to hit his chest. Instead, it hit his left shoulder. The woman screamed again as she loaded the weapon once again. The two struggled as Mai watched in agony. The man shot the woman in the stomach as Mai turned away from the scene._

 _She felt useless._

 _"Kara," he whispered her name venomously._

 _The man hovered over Kara, not realizing that she held a knife. He continuously beat her, while she struggled against his hold. The woman then took a shot and sliced his throat._

 _She watched the man in satisfaction as he passed away. She then dragged her beaten body to hold her son. Mai watched as she lovingly stroked his hair before, she too, passed away._

Mai sat up as tears fell from her eyes. She looked up only to find the same child from her dream looking at her. It was the child from the barn, but she could make out his features this time. He had beautiful raven hair and caramel colored eyes.

Mai turned to Ayako, but the priestess was deep into her sleep. She then turned to the child once again.

"Help us," he whispered imploringly, and then he disappeared. Mai nodded even though he was long gone. She cried as she remembered that his life had been cut short because of a malicious man.

"I promise," she whispered as the door was shot open. Her eyes widened as she looked up to find Gene looking at her in concern. Noticing her state of distress, Gene's eyes softened. Being a medium, he understood all too well how much stress and heartache this line of work could bring to a person.

"It's alright, Mai," Gene said as he pulled her towards him. He gave her a comforting embrace as the brunette cried for the boy and his mother.

Hearing the ruckus, Ayako woke up. Her sleepy mind first took notice of Gene and Mai embracing. The second thing she noticed was that Mai was crying. Her mother instincts activated as she realized that Mai had once of those dreams. Ayako embraced the distraught brunette as Gene backed off.

He turned away from her as he noticed how affected Mai was. He felt guilty at seeing the brunette in such a state. He had no idea just how deeply these cases got to her since he had only been there to supply her information for the cases.

Now, he could clearly see the Mai that his brother had seen. He was now seeing the Mai that let down her guard to cry because of the injustices.

"Will you tell me what happened?" Gene coaxed her and Mai nodded as she calmed. Ayako looked ready to argue, but she remained silent.

Once she was done telling him what had happened, Gene nodded and allowed Ayako to comfort her. He knew how important it was for Mai to have the priestess there for her. He got up and excused himself as he sought Yasuhara.

Mai had just uncovered the identities of the three remaining spirits.

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Mai woke up at six in the morning and went to the base. After her encounter with the spirit, she fell asleep and had a nightmare. When she woke up, she refused to go back to sleep. She didn't want to see the gruesome images again.

The young woman entered base and noticed that Gene was already awake. Next to him, Yasu was fast asleep in the couch. He snored softly as a newspaper article lay on his stomach.

"Morning Mai," Gene greeted her. His eyes then returned to the laptop that was in front of him. He typed away as Mai frowned.

"Haven't you slept at all?" Mai asked him in concern. Gene paused in his typing and turned back to her.

"I have, Yasu watched the monitors all night, while I slept. Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep much in light of our new discoveries." He admitted as he once again turned to his searching.

"New discoveries?" Mai asked him curiously.

"Kara, the woman from your dreams, was married to a man named Moriyama Tanaka. There were rumors that the man was extremely abusive to her and her son Takashi. Unfortunately, one day they disappeared without a trace. To this day, their bodies haven't been found," Gene informed her as he frowned.

Mai could tell he knew more, but he didn't seem like he wanted to tell her yet.

"That's strange, Tanaka was dead, I'm sure of it." Mai's eyebrows furrowed as she began to wonder who got rid of the bodies. Three bodies couldn't just disappear into thin air.

"That worries me. Perhaps we need to find the bodies in order to cleanse them, but who knows if they're even here. I'll have to contact Kara or Takashi to find out what they know," Gene said.

Just then the lights flickered on and off as the temperature of the base began to drop. Yasu's eyes shot open as he felt the cold. He looked around in alarm.

Mai winced as loud whispers echoed throughout the base. She couldn't make out what the voices said, but her eyes instinctively snapped to the doorway. Her eyes widened in horror as the man from her dreams stood just outside the base. The lights remained off for several seconds, and when they turned on again, he was inside the room standing in front of Gene. Mai shook at the spirit's overbearing aura. It felt so evil.

His eyes were blood red and a dark aura surrounded his figure. Mai saw the way he moved around, and she winced when the saw his bloodcurdling movements. His attention was completely drawn by Gene, who watched him warily.

They stared into each other's eyes, neither of them moving. Gene opened his mouth and said something to the spirit, but Mai couldn't make out his words. The spirit replied demonically, and Mai realized that they were conversing in a different language.

She then noticed the way the spirit took a threatening step towards the young medium. With shaking arms, Mai brought up her fingers as she recanted the nine cuts.

"Rin, Pyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin-"

"No, Mai stop," Gene called out to her. Mai watched as the man slowly turned to her. "No, look at me!" Gene cried out as the man took a step in Mai's direction. He then put his hands together like monk always did and started chanting.

The spirit grinned showing his rotting teeth, and with an incredible speed, he appeared in front of the brunette. Mai felt fear take hold of her, but she didn't let it deter her. She wouldn't allow him to hurt Gene.

"-Retsu, Zai, Zen"

The spirit vanished as she and Gene concluded their chanting. Mai then turned to Gene, who was looking away from her. His hair covered his eyes, so she couldn't make out his expression. His posture was rigid.

"Gene-"

"Are you two alright?" Ayako's voice interrupted as she, monk and John came running. Yasu, who Mai hadn't noticed leaving, came running behind them. He had obviously gone to get their help without her realizing that he had left.

Mai nodded and informed them about what had happened. Ayako and Takigawa frowned as they turned to look at their wards, which were burned off.

"This is a powerful spirit that we're dealing with. Earlier I couldn't feel the presence of the other spirits, but there are so many anguished souls here," Gene said as he looked down. "He feeds on the life force of others in order to maintain his disgusting existence."

Mai finally saw his expression, and she winced when she recognized the anger and hatred. At that moment, she finally understood what had been bothering him. Gene needed her in order to live, so he was feeling self-loathing.

Gene noticed her stare and turned away from her. The others continued their discussion, not noticing their behavior. It wasn't until John spoke with a clever observation, that Mai paid attention to their discussion once again.

"He could have been the one that influenced Hiro and Miho to commit those crimes. It makes sense that he needed them to supply him with souls," John commented sadly as he remembered the many victims that had perished.

"You're right. Strong spirits like that have the ability to influence others," Ayako sighed as it now made sense to her.

"So you're saying that this guy is feeding on the souls of innocent victims in order to live again?" Takigawa asked. He missed Gene's wince.

"Yes, we're dealing with a spirit like Urado," Yasuhara clarified as he nodded, oblivious to Gene's inner turmoil.

"Yes, like Urado, he's nothing more than a parasite," Gene said as he abruptly turned his back to them. He then made his way to the doorway.

Mai followed after him, while the others obliviously wondered what had happened.

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Naru moved his arm away when he realized that Masako had attempted to touch him. The medium frowned as he once again rejected her attention. Now that his mother wasn't there anymore, Naru didn't even bother hiding his displeasure at her presence.

He would not forget that she had blackmailed him into dates. He despised being told what to do, which was essentially what did when she "invited" him on dates.

"Oliver," Masako called after him, but he ignored her. She huffed as he grabbed his suitcase and proceeded to walk outside the airport. The medium then turned to Lin, who also grabbed his suitcase and followed after Naru. He didn't even spare her a sideways glance.

Lin caught up to his ward and noticed that he eyed his surroundings searchingly.

"What's wrong?" He asked, not really expecting an answer. Therefore, he was surprised when Naru answered.

"Something feels odd," he admitted. He couldn't describe the feeling, it almost felt like a part of him had been returned. He frowned wondering if this feeling was because he had missed Japan. He knew that he had wanted to return, but he had been reluctant.

While he was upset that someone had taken his position in SPR, that was not his only reason for returning.

He wanted to see his, dare he say, friends again; especially, his former assistant, Mai. He missed her dearly. In his time in England, he hadn't had a single cup of tea, which surprised everyone with the exception of Lin. He couldn't stop thinking about her or the others, of course.

Which reminded him, he needed to ask Mai some questions about Gene.

Gene's face kept popping up in his head from time to time. He had even had the crazy idea to use psychometry on his dead brother's clothes, yet he knew it wouldn't work since his brother was already dead. Therefore, he had to interrogate the only person that would know about Gene's whereabouts, Mai.

Naru pulled out his cell phone and proceeded to call Yasuhara. As he waited for Yasu to answer, Lin hailed a cab.

Finally after a few rings, the young man answered. " _Boss, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon after your last call. Did you miss me already_?" Yasuhara chirped happily.

"Yasuhara, I want you to send me the address of your current location," Naru said as he got into the cab. Lin took his bags and got in the passenger seat. Masako walked in and sat next to him. Naru didn't make a move to acknowledge her as he waited for Yasu to reply.

Yasuhara remained silent for a couple of seconds before he finally responded. " _The address? What for? Wait a minute…you're not telling me that you're actually in Japan. Are you?"_ Naru didn't bother answering his question. Instead, he frowned at the hint of nervousness that he detected in Yasu's tone. " _I'm taking your silence as a yes._ _In that case, we should meet up after the case is over. Yes, that sounds like a better idea. You should rest after your long trip after all."_

Now he knew something was up. Yasuhara was hiding something from him, and he didn't like it.

"Yasuhara, the address," he repeated coolly. Yasu flinched at his tone and reluctantly gave it to him. Once he got what he wanted, Naru hung up. He then gave the address to Lin.

After a few detours, they finally made their way to their new case to meet the others. Naru clenched his jaw as he felt a sense of foreboding. Yasuhara was hiding something from him, and he was willing to bet that it had to do with Mai.

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Once Naru hung up, Yasuhara looked around nervously. Should he tell the others? Ayako, monk and John were in base, but there were no signs of Gene or Mai. He quietly made his way inside base, hoping that the others didn't notice his discomfort.

"Something wrong?" Takigawa asked, noticing his distress.

"Are you worried about me?" He teased. Monk immediately tensed up at his words, and just like that, the subject was dropped.

Deciding to remain silent, Yasu knew that it wasn't his place to interfere. Naru and Gene would meet face to face, and he would be lying if he didn't want to see that happen.


	5. Chapter 5

Gene and Mai sat quietly, neither knowing how to break the uncomfortable silence. They were outside the house, sitting on the stairs. Gene watched Mai through his peripheral vision and nearly smiled when her leg bounced up and down. She was clearly nervous, and she didn't know how to start the conversation.

"Gene, I want you to know that I don't blame you," Mai started.

Gene smiled at her. "I know. Just forget about what I said. By the way, I will instruct Monk and John to perform an exorcism on the spirit tonight. This spirit is too far gone for a cleansing."

Mai frowned when she realized that he was trying to avoid the subject.

"Look you can't just-"

"Shibuya-san!" Mai mentally sighed as she saw Aya running up to them. She smiled brightly as she saw Gene, but she completely ignored Mai.

"Nakamura-san," Gene smiled at her as he acknowledged her.

"Would you accompany me on an errand?" She asked with a pleasant smile. Mai narrowed her eyes when Gene nodded. Aya grinned and grabbed hold of his arm. Gene gave Mai a backwards glance and then walked back inside the house with Aya.

Mai didn't know why it bothered her to see him go with her. She wondered if it was jealousy since it reminded her of Naru when he left on "dates" with Masako, or if it was something else.

In any case, she didn't like it.

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It was midday and Mai was bored. Everyone seemed to be occupied, except her. Gene and Aya had not come back yet, which unnerved her. Takigawa and Ayako had gone out to buy some food, but they had already been gone for a while. Yasu was fast asleep, and she didn't know where John was.

Mai watched the monitors in boredom. However, her interest was piqued when she saw two of the cameras go off. One of which was the one to the barn.

"Yasu," she woke him up, knowing that he was the one that could get the computer running again. The bespectacled teen jolted awake. "Two cameras went off."

Yasu frowned and immediately started typing away. While he was busy with that, Mai felt her heart pounding. A voice in her head warned her about the impending danger.

"Something's wrong, I feel it," she informed him. Yasu's eyes widened at her words. If Mai said something was wrong, then he would trust her gut feeling like Naru and Gene did. He wouldn't take any chances.

"What is it?" Yasu asked her as he paused in his ministrations.

"I don't know, but I-" She snapped her mouth shut as she saw Touya walking around with John on the second floor of the house. They seemed to be talking amiably but something didn't feel right. They were walking towards the room that had the camera off. Add to that fact, she felt uncomfortable that she couldn't see Gene in any of the monitors.

"Mai?" Yasu asked as he followed her gaze.

"Didn't John say that powerful spirits can influence others?" Mai asked and Yasu's eyes widened at the implication." "Yasu, don't you find it odd that the Nakamura siblings are all still alive?"

Yasu cursed and at that moment, the screen to the camera turned on. Mai's eyes widened as she saw both Takigawa and Ayako tied up. They struggled against their binds.

"Mai, let me go warn John, stay here," Yasu ordered and took off running.

Mai mentally gasped as she realized that Gene must be at the barn. She abruptly stood and took off running to go rescue the medium. She briefly paused and grabbed a shovel knowing that she may need to use it later.

As soon as she made it outside, she saw Aya and Gene standing outside the barn. They seemed to be in deep conversation, so they didn't notice her approaching.

"Gene!" Mai called out to him. They both turned to her with similar expressions of shock. She tried to reach them, but something pulled them inside the barn. The door slammed shut as Mai ran with vigor. She planned on helping them out.

However, her movements were halted when she felt something grab a hold of her leg. Mai felt the wind knocked out of her as she violently tripped. The shovel flew a couple of feet away.

Mai looked at the deathly pale hand that grasped her leg and screamed when her eyes met the cold and malignant eyes of Miho. The spirit kept a firm grip on her leg as it began to drag her. The brunette desperately struggled when she realized that the spirit meant to pull her into the water.

Mai, despite being dragged, tried to recant the nine cuts.

"Rin, Pyo-" Unfortunately, the spirit tightened its hold on her leg and sheathed its claws into her flesh. Blood oozed out of her newly acquired injuries.

Mai cried out in pain as she grabbed onto the tree to prevent herself from being dragged in. She would have continued with the nine cuts, but she knew that she needed to use her two hands to hold on.

"Taniyama-san," Mai looked up and saw Emmi running to her in concern. The brunette held out her hand, and Mai desperately took it. "Help! Somebody help!" Emmi screamed as she struggled to hold on to Mai's hands.

The spirit used its unnatural strength and dragged them both into the water. Mai struggled against it as she stuck her head out to breathe. Emmi coughed and gasped as the malignant spirit also grabbed her leg.

"Help!" Mai cried out.

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Gene winced when he heard Mai's scream. Aya lay next to him unconscious; her head was bleeding profoundly as the spirit had harshly shoved them against the wall. Blue eyes looked into the demonic eyes of the malevolent spirit, Moriyama Tanaka.

Gene put his fingers together and started chanting. He kept his eyes fixated on the evil spirit, not once breaking eye contact.

The blue-eyed medium knew that he had the makings of an exorcist. It was his reason to come to Japan after all. However, he had never completed his training, and he had never exorcised a spirit by himself before. He knew several chants and prayers that could ward it away, but he wanted to eradicate its existence.

Mai's cry of help reached his ears, and his eyes narrowed in determination. His conviction to succeed strengthened. He would do everything in his power to save Mai.

"Help!" Gene flinched at her desperate call. The spirit grinned as he also heard her cries. Gene's shoulders tensed as he felt anger and hatred build up.

Yes, he would definitely take out that spirit.

No matter what.

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John prayed in the center of the room as he tried to exorcise Hiro's spirit. The blond priest tried to ignore his surroundings as he fought off the powerful apparition. He occasionally flinched when he heard Yasuhara's struggling against Touya. Takigawa and Ayako both seemed desperate to help, but they couldn't do anything whilst they were tied down.

"If you could hurry up there, John, I'd really appreciate it," Yasu said as he struggled to keep Touya from slashing his neck with a butcher knife. The young priest felt sweat trail down his forehead as he struggled against Hiro.

"Just die already!" Touya growled as the knife pressed against Yasu's neck. Yasu's nose was bleeding since he had been caught off guard when the young man and spirit attacked them.

"Snap out of it, Touya!" Yasu tried to reason with him. "Your mind is being influenced by an evil spirit."

The 19 year old brunette started laughing as he heard Yasu's words. "Is that what you really think?" He continued laughing. "No, I am not being influenced by anything. You see, I made a pact with them. I live and they help me fulfill my fantasies." At the word fantasies, he licked the blood from the knife.

He smirked at Yasu's startled expression.

"You are sick," the bespectacled youth said as he now understood. Touya was evil by heart, and he traded the life of others for his own with no remorse. In fact, he liked killing.

"And what of your sisters?" Yasu asked, hoping to distract him while John took care of the trash.

"Disposable," he grinned as he made to plunge the knife on Yasu's neck.

Unfortunately for him, his eyes widened when he felt a strong kick to the back of his head. Yasu turned to John and gaped. Never would he have imagined that the kind and compassionate John was capable of hurting others.

"Are you alright?"

Yasu smiled to thank him, but John took off flying as the evil presence took the opportunity to attack the young priest.

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Mai and Emmi were getting tired of struggling, but they kept on, knowing that they couldn't give in. Eventually, the spirit released them, and the two girls were floating in the middle of the lake.

"Where did it go?" Emmi asked in fright. Mai ignored her question and pulled Emmi with her. They didn't have time to be asking questions, they had to leave.

Unsurprisingly, the spirit came out of the water once again. Emmi screamed as Mai brought up her fingers and recanted the nine cuts. The spirit shrieked and disappeared inside the water.

Mai and Emmi struggled to swim towards the edge, but they never made it. Mai's eyes softened as she took in Emmi's terrified orbs. She then made a decision and pushed Emmi away from the spirit. At least one of them had to escape. Emmi had a higher chance of surviving anyways. Mai's leg was injured, so she wouldn't be able to swim fast enough.

"Go get Gene!" Mai ordered as she was dragged back inside the water. Emmi started to cry as she nodded. She had initially disliked Mai, but she would never allow the younger brunette to die. Exhausted, Emmi swam to the surface. She turned back to the water and saw Mai pull up before disappearing back into the darkness.

Emmi's eyes glinted in determination as she took off running. She didn't know who Gene was, but she was willing to bet that it was Shibuya-san.

While Emmi was away, Mai felt herself being pulled deeper into the water. Her gaze remained transfixed on the light as she plunged into darkness. 'So that's it? Is this how I'm going to die?' Mai thought as she felt her lungs burning from the pressure and lack of oxygen. Her blood coated the water around her, which made the scene mesmerizing. 'I don't want to die.'

Just as she was closing her eyes, she vaguely made out a figure plunge into the water. White orbs surrounded her as she felt the grip on her legs disappearing. Arms encompassed her and they strongly tugged her out of the freezing lake.

When they finally made it to surface, Mai coughed out water. Emmi sat on the edge of the lake as she cried in relief. Mai pulled away and looked into Gene's concerned expression. His blue eyes reflected his inner turmoil as he realized that he had nearly been too late.

He tenderly helped her stand, and she absent-minded allowed him. She was too busy reliving her near death experience to remember about her injured leg.

Gene placed a hand on top of her head, and she looked up at him. Her eyes moistened as she started crying. She launched herself into Gene's arms and cried out of relief. His arms instinctively wrapped around her figure as he tried to comfort her.

Over the past few cases, she knew that she had been in danger, but this was the first time that she came that close to death. She had felt the life seeping out of her, and it had been truly frightening. Now she knew how helpless he must have felt when he died.

"I- I thought I was going to die," she admitted as she held onto him. He tightened his hold on her.

"Idiot"

Once she heard that word, Mai froze. Gene _never_ called her that, not even when he was upset. Only one person ever called her an idiot in that same condescending tone. Mai looked at the shirt that she had her face buried in and realized it was black, not red like she had seen when Gene had disappeared inside the barn. Mai's heart beat began to accelerate as she slightly pulled away from him.

"Naru," she whispered in disbelief. His eyes met hers and Mai's breath hitched. His expression was once again cold and guarded. Yes, this was her cold, calculating, taciturn, and narcissistic, Naru.

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Lin ran upstairs, Masako followed after him as she told him where she felt the spirit. Together they burst into the room; only to be shocked as they witnessed John finishing exorcising the powerful presence that Masako had felt. The Australian priest wavered as his exhaustion became evident. Yasu helped steady him.

He then proceeded to untie Takigawa and Ayako. It was the priestess that noticed them first, and she gasped in surprise. "Lin"

Yasu followed her line of sight and noticed Lin and Masako standing there in confusion. "Well hello there, how nice of you to finally join us."

The bespectacled teen then frowned as he realized that Naru was absent. That meant that the long awaited reunion of the brothers would happen sooner than what he had initially anticipated.

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Naru and Mai looked into each other's eyes, neither one pulling away. His hand made its way to cup her cheek as his other arm stayed where it was, wrapped around her waist.

Mai swore her heart skipped a beat at his actions. She didn't even care that her whole body was freezing after being pulled out of the cold water.

"Mai!" The brunette jumped as she saw the door to the barn slam open.

Gene staggered out of the room. As soon as he regained his footing, he began running towards her. However, he abruptly stopped as he saw who was holding her. Emmi gaped as she looked between the two of them.

Naru _knew_ that voice, but it was impossible. His brother had died. It couldn't be, and yet, he had to see the owner of that voice.

Mai felt Naru tense as he slowly turned in the direction of Gene's voice. She looked up and saw Naru's eyes widen. His lips slightly parted in surprise as their blue eyes finally met.

"Gene," Naru whispered incredulously.

Gene held his twin's gaze, not knowing what to expect. "Noll"


	6. Chapter 6

Mai blinked as she didn't have much time to process what was happening. One moment she was encompassed in Naru's arms and in the next she was urgently pushed behind him. She looked at Naru and noticed his defensive posture. His eyes never left the form of his older brother.

It was clear that Naru meant to protect her from Gene.

The brunette peered over Naru's shoulder and took in Gene's form. Unlike Naru, Gene calmly regarded his brother. He seemed to be waiting for him to react.

"Shibuya-san, what's going on?" Emmi asked as she watched them in confusion.

"Nakamura-san, your sister received a blow to the head and is bleeding. You should go check on her. She's currently unconscious in the barn," Gene informed her, not breaking eye contact with Naru.

Emmi gasped and took off running to check on her sister. In her worry, she forgot all the questions that she wanted to ask.

Mai made to follow her since she didn't want to intrude on their reunion. However, without turning, Naru grabbed her wrist to prevent her from leaving. Mai looked up and for a few seconds made eye contact with Naru. It was clear that he wasn't going to allow her to leave his side.

She didn't try to pull away and nodded, letting him know that she wouldn't try to leave. Naru's eyes then turned back to meet Gene's.

"I know what you're thinking," Gene said as he took a hesitant step forward. Naru's calculating eyes narrowed as he tensed. Gene paused in his second step, "I assure you that I am not an illusion cast by the spirits in these lands."

"Then what are you?" Naru asked, surprisingly composed. Mai wanted to say something, but she decided that she shouldn't intervene yet.

"Your brother," Gene answered as he seemed almost amused at his brother's calculating expression. "I am not a doppleganger either so get that out of your head you idiot scientist."

"Gene is dead," Naru said in a deceptively calm tone. It was clear that he wasn't amused, and Mai couldn't blame him. If she was in his place, she wouldn't believe Gene either. She would find a possible reason for the apparition and consider it a cruel trick. She could only imagine the millions of thoughts going through his head.

"One word Noll, necromancy," Gene said as he eyed Naru's reaction carefully. Naru still didn't react, indicating that he was either considering his words or that he didn't believe him.

"Necromancy involves a difficult ritual, one that has never been found to be successful," Naru retorted.

"Well there's always a first, right?"

Mai felt Naru releasing her wrist as he took a step in Gene's direction. The temperature around her dropped, and Mai's eyes widened as she realized that Naru meant to use his PK. Gene remained where he was, not wanting to make his brother even more suspicious of him.

"Naru-" Gene shook his head at her, and she snapped her mouth shut.

A brilliant light appeared on Naru's hands, and it then brusquely bounced onto Gene's outstretched hands. Gene maintained eye contact with his brother as he effortlessly caught it and amplified it.

Naru's eyes widened as he witnessed how Gene easily caught his energy and returned it to him. Naru, without looking, blasted it towards the water. Mai heard a small explosion, which was soon followed by the splashing of water. Man frowned as she was once again drenched, but the brothers didn't seem to notice or care.

Naru remained motionless, so it was a surprise when he suddenly sent him a bigger orb of energy.

The medium smiled sadly and caught it once again. "It really is me, Noll," Gene whispered as he returned it to Naru.

The orb was once again launched into the lake.

Naru held his hands up again as another ball of light flickered in his hands before disappearing entirely. His hands dropped to his sides as reality began to sink in. He had refused to believe it from the beginning. He had come up with multiple theories about the apparition, but now he had no doubts. "Gene," Naru said as his body began to shake from his pent up emotions.

This truly was his brother.

Gene took the initiative and walked towards him. Ever so slowly, the older twin embraced his younger brother. Naru stiffened at the contact, but he didn't pull away. Gene, being the emotional one, had to blink away his tears. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed his brother until he was there.

Mai smiled at the scene but flinched when she placed her weight on her injured leg. She sighed as she saw that the wound was still bleeding. It appeared that her distraction had made her momentarily forget all about her pain.

As if a switch was turned on, Naru tensed and pulled away. His eyes once again became guarded as he looked at Gene. "Tell me about the circumstances of your revival," Naru said as Gene sighed.

Trust his brother to always ruin the mood.

"It can wait, Noll, Mai-"

At the mention of her name, Naru turned to face her. She flinched when he regarded her coolly. He had never looked at her that way before.

His eyes then traveled to her injured leg and his expression seemed to have softened for a split second. Mai looked down in shame and only looked up when she noticed that he was walking towards her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but she ended up crying out in surprise as he effortlessly picked her up. She blushed as he started carrying her towards the house. Gene frowned at the scene, but he didn't make a move to follow them.

Naru paused in his step and gave a backwards glance towards his brother.

"Go on ahead, I have to ensure that the Nakamura sisters are safe," he said as he turned his back to them and made his way to the barn.

Naru didn't reply, he merely continued walking back inside the house. Mai was too embarrassed to tell him that she was fully capable of walking on her own. Besides, she didn't think arguing with him would be the best course of action at the moment.

The young brunette settled on laying her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of Naru's arms around her. It had been too long since she had been close to him. She might as well make the best of it, even if the circumstances were in no way romantic.

She let out a breath of contentment, trying her best to ignore the stinging sensation on her leg. She was so distracted, that she didn't notice that Naru had briefly paused in his walking as he felt her hot breath on his neck. His body involuntarily shivered at the sensation.

Mai opened her eyes and openly stared at Naru's handsome features. She had missed him so much. Her heart ached for him. "Naru," she whispered his name longingly, and he looked down to meet her gaze. "Thank you"

He didn't reply, instead, he turned to look forward. He expertly walked around and peered inside base, though he didn't know it yet.

Once he was sure that the room was base, he carried her inside.

The raven-haired scientist carefully laid her on the couch, not caring that Mai got it wet. She sat up, wincing as she put pressure on her injury.

"Naru, you should change, your clothes are-"

"Where's the first aid kit?" He interrupted her. Mai sighed and pointed to it. Naru wordlessly grabbed it and began cleaning her wound.

"Listen, I-" She winced as he applied alcohol. He never looked up as he started wrapping a gauze around her leg. Vaguely Mai wondered where the rest of the team was since she was pretty sure that Yasu had gone to rescue them.

"Since when?" He asked her coldly. She didn't have to ask to know that he meant Gene's revival.

"About a month," she answered.

His jaw clenched as his blue eyes met hers. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't my place to tell you," she answered, starting to feel guilty for keeping it from him. "Gene decided it was best that we didn't tell you."

"So you all knew." Not being able to bear his accusing glare, Mai looked down. "And what other secrets are you keeping from me, Taniyama-san?" Naru asked her condescendingly. Mai flinched as she heard him address her so formally.

"Look, this wasn't-"

"I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses." He glared at her hatefully.

"Then you shouldn't have asked me anything to begin with, you stupid narcissist," Mai snapped back. She knew that he had every right to be upset, but she wasn't just going to allow him treat her that way.

Unbeknownst to Mai, Naru was more hurt than anything else. To him, this was an act of betrayal from the brunette. It hurt that she kept something so important from him. Mai was the person that he least expected to keep secrets from him, especially one of this magnitude.

"Would you have even answered my phone call if I had called?" she asked him bitterly. She turned away, not wanting him to see just how affected she was. "I emailed you a lot during the past months and did you even bother reading them? No, why would you? I bet it was a mere inconvenience to you, me bothering you all the time." Mai blinked rapidly to prevent tears from falling.

Naru frowned and looked at the side of her face. He hated seeing her so unhappy, and it felt worse that it was him that had caused it. The two remained quiet, neither wanting to break the uncomfortable silence. Surprisingly, it was Naru who broke it first.

"In your first email, you informed me about your decision to continue working on cases. John had approached you to let you know about a haunting at a convenience store." Mai's eyes widened as she turned to look at Naru. He avoided making eye contact as he continued talking. "Your second email was sent three days after that. It turned out that what was caught on camera wasn't a ghost. The tapes had been tampered with by someone that had intended to run the store out of business."

Finally, he looked into her eyes. "Need I say more?" She smiled sadly and shook her head. She loved him, she knew and accepted that. Despite his cold attitude, he always turned around and said something like this. It made her heart melt and fall harder for him. Worst of all, it gave her hope that he reciprocated her feelings.

Outside the room, Gene had his head resting against the wall. He knew it was rude to listen in on other people's conversations, but he couldn't help it. He had to know the full extent of their relationship.

"I honestly didn't feel like it was my place to interfere. The only person that had a right to tell you was Gene. Had the roles been reversed, I would have done the same for you," Mai informed him honestly. Naru remained silent, listening to her reasoning. "I'm sorry if I came off as deceiving, that was never my intention. The last thing I wanted was to-"

Gene sighed and decided to make his appearance; he couldn't bear to hear more. He tried to keep his expression neutral as he saw his brother's warm expression change to an indifferent mask when he noticed his entrance.

"I'm guessing you have several questions," Gene said with a smile, pretending that he hadn't been listening in on their conversation. "I'll tell you everything that happened, though I'm sure Mai can fill you in on the gaps of the actual ritual."

The twins sat down and Naru listened patiently to his brother's retelling of the events. He never interrupted even when he seemed to have questions. As a scientist, he had to listen to the facts first before he could draw conclusions or make inquiries.

"Soon after, I realized that I draw energy from Mai. I can't leave her side for long periods of time, and I am unable to move far away from her. My very existence depends on her." Gene concluded as he gave a grateful smile to Mai.

Naru looked away, shielding his expression from them. When he turned back, his indifferent mask was back in place. "I see"

Mai didn't seem to notice, but Gene did. He knew his brother more than anyone else, and he recognized the signs. Noll was affected by that crucial piece of information.

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Lin felt a vein throbbing as his patience reached its limit. Yasuhara had been distracting him with idle talk to prevent him from leaving. He gave him a very thorough report about the case, including irrelevant details such as what they had for lunch. He had also dramatically proclaimed how much he had missed them.

The Chinese omnyoji would have left earlier. However, Yasuhara was currently blocking his way. "I have had enough, move." The bespectacled youth didn't even flinch at his venomous tone.

"Lin-san, I confess, I don't want you to interfere in Mai and Naru's romantic reunion," Yasu exclaimed dramatically. Masako glared as she also had enough of Yasu's stalling. Ayako, Takigawa and John remained silent, not wanting to provoke Lin. "Have you no romantic bone in your body? Allow the young ones to-"

"Enough! Oliver may need our help. We have no time to waste listening to your foolish jabbering." Masako snapped.

They all tensed as they suddenly heard rushed footsteps. Even Yasu frowned as he turned towards the doorway.

Emmi ran into the room as she paused to catch her breath. "Shibuya-san told me to seek your aid; he said that you could help us. Please, my sister is unconscious and bleeding."

"Where's Mai?" Takigawa asked worriedly.

"Where's Oliver?" Masako asked at the same time. Understanding that Masako meant the twin that was clad in black, Emmi informed them about what had happened. She knew that Gene was the twin wearing red, which was also the one that had been in charge of their case. Therefore, it was obvious that the other one was Oliver.

"Oliver-san saved Taniyama-san from the spirit. It had tried to drown her," Emmi responded. Noticing their distress, she tried to sooth them. "But don't worry, they're both fine, Shibuya-san went to base to go check on them." Emmi said as she impatiently looked at the door. "We digress, please look over my sister. She's still bleeding."

Ayako instantly stood and followed after Emmi. John remained by the unconscious Touya and nodded to the rest, letting them know that he could handle it. Masako and Takigawa followed after Emmi. It seemed that none of them had caught the full meaning of her words.

Lin, though, remained where he was. His eyes narrowed pensively as he remembered Emmi. She had been the one to ask Naru to help Mai. And, if his memory served him well, she had called him Shibuya-san. How did that girl know Naru's alias if she hadn't met him yet? Earlier he had been so preoccupied by the strong spirit that he hadn't given it much thought.

In addition, it seemed that Emmi was talking about two different persons. One was Shibuya-san and the other one was Oliver.

Yasu smirked as he realized that Lin's mind was working on overdrive. Making a quick decision, Yasu made his way out the door.

"Lin-san we should go to base to check on them." Noticing that the omnyoji didn't move to follow him, Yasu grinned mischievously. "Did you change your mind so quickly? Didn't you want to go check on _Shibuya-san_?"

Lin's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he followed after Yasuhara. Even Naru had seemed wary of Yasu, it appeared that he was right. Yasu had been hiding something from them.

"Knock, knock big boss," Yasu said as he walked into base.

Lin paused for a brief moment before he too walked in.


	7. Chapter 7

A/n: Thank you so much for those of you who have read my story. I hope you like this new chapter :D

 _The young omnyoji followed after the professor as he briefed him in on his duties. He didn't speak as he attentively listened. He had been given the responsibility of watching over the professor's two ten year old sons, which he would meet soon._

 _Martin continued talking as he opened the door to his study. Inside the room, identical twins sat on their chairs. One of them was playing with the Newton's cradle in his father's desk, while the other one silently read a book._

 _At their entrance, both of them looked up. Lin's eyes narrowed as he recognized their Japanese features, yet he remained silent._

 _"_ _Lin, I introduce you to my two boys, Eugene and Oliver," Martin indicated them respectively. Oliver's intelligent eyes bored down on Lin, while Eugene smiled warmly at him. Lin nodded in greeting, though he made no effort to appear friendly._

 _He already disliked his job._

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 _"_ _Your ability to control your PK is mediocre at best," Lin coolly stated as Oliver clenched his teeth in frustration._

 _"_ _My lack of progress is due to your incompetence," Oliver shot back as Lin glared._

 _"_ _Don't you dare blame me for your failure," Lin's visible eye narrowed in warning. That brat always got on his last nerve.0_

 _Gene watched them worriedly. It seemed that his brother and Lin-san would never get along. It had only been a week since the Chinese omnyoji started working with them, yet there hadn't been any progress with his brother's control or their relationship. It was worrisome, especially since Noll had such a fragile health._

 _"_ _Please, Lin-san don't blame Noll. He's really trying his best," Gene intervened. Lin turned his cool gaze towards the older twin. Gene appeared to be calm as he now had his full attention._

 _However, on the inside he was wondering what he did to garner such a hateful glare._

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 _Gene panted in exhaustion as he looked up to see Lin frowning unsympathetically at him. The medium had fallen on his knees from the fatigue._

 _"_ _Again," Lin ordered as Gene tried to catch his breath. Oliver scowled at Lin as Gene forced himself to stand. His legs shook, yet he was able to hold himself upright._

 _"_ _He won't be able to handle it," Oliver snapped. "As our sensei, you should know better."_

 _"_ _I'm fine, Noll. We need to do this to control your PK," Gene smiled at him. Oliver looked ready to argue, but he nodded when he noticed his brother's stubborn expression._

 _Gene opened up his hands as Oliver prepared to launch an energy orb to him again. However, he was never able to do it since Gene, once again, fell on his knees._

 _Oliver ran up to him and held him upright. Lin shook his head in disappointment as he turned to walk away. "Wait," Gene called out to him weakly. Lin stopped and gave him a backwards glance. "Why do you hate us so much?"_

 _Lin remained silent._

 _"_ _You've been hostile since the beginning, and I want to know why. What did we do to make you dislike us so much?" When he received no response, he continued. "I've tried to be friendly and patient with you. I've tried to understand you. I've even wondered if I've done something to offend you, but I know I haven't. So please tell me, what did we do?" Gene looked ready to cry as Oliver looked up at Lin, silently urging him to answer._

 _"_ _You're Japanese," Lin finally answered. Gene flinched while Oliver didn't react._

 _"_ _W-what?" Gene asked in disbelief. "That's not a good reason to-"_

 _"_ _Do you even know what the Japanese did to my people?" Lin interrupted him. Gene frowned._

 _"_ _Of course I know, and I think-"_

 _Again, Lin interrupted him._

 _"_ _Then you should know why I dislike you so much. Your people are nothing more than filth," Lin concluded calmly as he turned._

 _"_ _I disagree," Gene whispered._

 _"_ _Then should I list all the atrocious acts that they committed against my people?" Not giving him time to speak, Lin continued. "The Japanese have committed their fair share of injustices, and you are one of them." Lin clenched his fist and started walking away._

 _"_ _I agree that some Japanese people did awful things, but I think that you should move on and judge people based on their own actions." Lin froze. "Hate me all you want, but hate me for something that I did as an individual. Not for something that I have no control over. You shouldn't hate me for being Japanese."_

 _Lin turned back to the twins. Gene was silently crying as he concluded his passionate declaration, while Oliver scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous or stupid Lin, it doesn't suit you."_

 _Lin's tense shoulders relaxed as he finally looked at his two young pupils. A barely noticeable smile made itself present. "I see."_

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 _"_ _Again," Lin ordered. He was pleasantly surprised when the twins were able to follow through. Over the past year, their relationship and Oliver's control had improved a lot._

 _Gene smiled at Lin's approval. He may not have voiced it out loud, but Gene knew he was pleased by their progress._

 _"_ _I must admit that I'm impressed," Martin commented. "If you think they're ready, I'll take them with me on a case."_

 _That got Oliver's attention, though he tried to appear uncaring and nonchalant._

 _"_ _They're ready," Lin replied._

 _Gene smiled, while Oliver's eyes glinted in excitement. Lin's eyes softened since he knew that they had worked so hard to get to where they were, and finally, the hard work paid off._

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 _Gene grasped onto the handle of his suit case nervously. He looked up from his ticket to the screen. He didn't know how to feel at the moment. He was both nervous and excited to go to Japan since it was his first time traveling without his brother or Lin._

 _"_ _Gene," Lin called out to him. Gene looked up at Lin, a bit surprised that he had gone to the airport to see him off. "Are you sure?" he asked in his usual monotone. Gene smiled warmly and nodded. "You could wait a few more months, and then Oliver and I can accompany you."_

 _"_ _Yes, I'm sure. Don't worry about it; you two can meet up with me when you have time." Noticing his teacher's serious expression, Gene added, "Just imagine it Lin, if I master my exorcist capabilities, then I will be helpful on cases."_

 _Gene felt his excitement overriding his nervousness. If he mastered his exorcism abilities, Noll would be safer on cases. Gene would finally feel like the strong and dependable older brother. His train of thought was broken when Lin spoke._

 _"_ _You are helpful, more helpful than most seasoned paranormal researchers," Lin corrected him. Gene blinked in surprise, not having expected a compliment from the taciturn man._

 _"_ _Thanks Lin," He smiled. He then remembered that his brother and Lin were usually found together. Therefore, he looked around for his brother, but he was disappointed when he didn't see him._

 _"_ _Oliver had an important meeting, but he wishes you a safe trip." Lin told him. Gene's smile faltered. He had selfishly wished that Noll had canceled his appointments to go see him off. "I'm sorry."_

 _"_ _That's okay. Thanks again Lin, I'll call when I make it to Japan." Gene smiled again. He stood up and walked away. "I'll see you in a few months. Take care of Noll for me." He gave him one last wave and disappeared into the crowd._

 _Lin watched him go, never imagining that it would be the last time that he would see him._

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 _When he walked into the Davis' mansion, he knew something was amiss. For one, everything was too quiet. He walked up the stairs and made his way to Martin's office, but a distinctive sound drew his attention._

 _Crying._

 _He ran towards the source of the sound, only to find himself in Gene's room. The first thing he noticed was the state of disorder of the room. Objects were thrown all over the place, shards of glass were all over Gene's desk, and one of the light bulbs had exploded. He didn't have to ask to know that Oliver had lost control of his PK._

 _The second thing he noticed was that Martin and Luella were crying. She embraced her husband as she cried out with a heart wrenching agony. He looked numb as he embraced his wife comfortingly._

 _Finally, he noticed Oliver sitting on the floor. His hands gripped a shirt tightly. His eyes were swollen and red, indicating that he had been crying._

 _That's when Lin realized that something was terribly wrong. Never in his time of knowing the twins, did he ever see Oliver cry. His heart began to pound as he realized that they were in Gene's room and that the shirt in Oliver's hand belonged to the older twin._

 _"_ _Noll?" Lin didn't even realize that he had used Oliver's nickname._

 _"_ _He's gone," he whispered brokenly. Lin's eye widened at the implication, yet he didn't want to jump to conclusions. "Gene is dead."_

 _It took a few seconds for Lin to process what he heard, but when he did, he finally understood what pain really was. He felt like his heart had been violently ripped out of his chest._

 _"_ _W-what?"_

 _"_ _He was so frightened and alone." Oliver's voice quivered as silent tears dropped into his brother's shirt. It had been the first time in so long that he had lost his composure. Luella and Martin both pulled their son into a comforting embrace. "I didn't say goodbye."_

 _"_ _It's okay, Noll, it's okay," Luella repeated as she held him tightly._

 _Lin's legs shook as he walked out of the room quietly. His eye didn't focus on anything as he made his way outside to the gardens. Once he was there, completely alone, did he let everything out._

 _He let out a loud cry as he fell on his knees. He didn't register that tears were falling from his eyes, nor did he notice that he momentarily lost control of his Shiki. Gene's face didn't leave his head as he remembered the blue eyed twin that he would never see again. The same child that had told him not to hate him for being Japanese._

 _"_ _You idiot," Lin cried out miserably._

 _For a brief moment, he even wished that he had never met him. That way, he wouldn't be feeling that agony. However, that thought was lost as he desperately wished that he could turn back time. He wished that he had been there to save him._

Lin walked into base quietly. His steps felt heavy as he followed after Yasuhara. He kept his head upright and took in the scene in front of him in shock. His eye widened as he saw Naru, Mai, and…a very familiar person.

Gene stood up and turned to Lin with a surprised expression. For a moment, everyone remained completely still. It was Gene who moved first. He smiled and tried approaching the startled omnyoji.

Lin appeared to be visibly ruffled as he glared at him. He whistled and his Shiki appeared. Mai and Naru stood up, both ready to stop him. However, Gene held up his hand as he silently asked them to not intervene.

"How dare you use his face as your mask?" Lin growled hatefully. Mai gasped at the venom in his tone. She had never heard Lin like that.

"It's me, Gene, please hear me out." Gene pleaded as he maintained his distance, knowing that Lin could take him out in seconds if he chose to.

"I will not be manipulated by your lies," Lin retorted as his body shook from anger and an emotion that Mai couldn't quite place.

"Pathetic," Naru said in his usual apathetic tone. "If you don't want to hear him, why don't you let your Shiki do the work?"

Lin winced but relaxed. He then followed Naru's advice and used his Shiki to sense Gene's presence. Even if he could be fooled by an illusion, his Shiki could not.

Gene remained perfectly still as he felt the presence of Lin's Shiki surround him. He kept his blue eyes locked on Lin's, so he noticed his former teacher's shock. "It is you," Lin whispered as Gene nodded. For a moment, Mai thought that Lin was going to cry. "But, how?"

"It's a long story," Gene admitted.

"Yes, we wouldn't know where to start." Yasu joined the conversation.  
As if finally noticing that he was there, all eyes turned to the bespectacled youth. He chuckled nervously when three icy glares were sent in his direction.

Although he was more or less accustomed to Naru and Lin's glare, he was still unfamiliar with Gene's cold gaze.

"You knew they were coming." Gene scowled as he realized that Yasu had been the only one aware of everything.

None of them seemed to be amused as Yasu smiled innocently. Mai could only sigh as Yasu turned to her for support. "I'm sure Yasu was only trying to be considerate of all of you, and that's why he kept it a secret." Ignoring, Yasu's grateful grin, Mai turned to Lin. "It's good to see you again Lin-san."

"Taniyama-san, I'm glad you're doing well," he said as he threw a discrete disbelieving look at Gene.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you everything," Gene smiled at him. Lin nodded slowly, and Mai knew that he was having trouble coping, more so than Naru.

"Perhaps, we should conclude this case before we attempt to catch up," Naru intervened. Mai sighed, knowing that this was her Naru. He always went straight to business.

"Yes, of course," Yasu nodded. "Allow me to give you a thorough briefing of the-" At Lin's glare, he paused. "Well let's make this short boss. There were five spirits here. John exorcised one of them, but I don't know about the other four."

"There's only two left, thought they don't feel malignant. It must be Kara-san and her son," Gene supplied.

"Wait, what happened to Moriyama Takana?" Mai asked knowing that it had been their greatest threat.

"I took care of it," Gene admitted. Mai and Yasu turned to him in awe, and Gene was glad that they didn't ask how he did it. From Lin and his brother's suspicious glances, he knew that he wouldn't be able to hide it from them.

"And Miho?" Yasu asked.

"Dealt with," Naru replied as Mai's eyes widened.

As she was drowning, she recalled some orbs of lights, and then Miho's hold on her had disappeared. Those orbs had been Naru's PK. She wanted to scold him for using his powers so recklessly to save her, but she realized that he was fine.

"How exactly was she dealt with?" Gene asked suspiciously. His silence answered their question.

"You were reckless," Lin was quick to scold Naru.

"I'm still conscious, and Mai is fine," Naru retorted coolly. He then made eye contact with his brother, the reason why his PK hadn't taken a toll on his body. Gene shook his head.

"And if he hadn't been there? What? Would you have both drowned?" Lin asked as Naru looked away.

"Noll, he's right. You were too reckless. It could have cost both you and Mai your lives. You should have had Lin save her." Gene said as Mai looked down thoughtfully.

"As soon as this case is concluded, we will discuss this," Lin said in disappointment.

Naru hated this. He hated being treated like a weak and pitiful child. It had always been like that as they were growing up. They always questioned his decisions when it came to his PK.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Yasu grinned.

"Why don't we get my lovely monk and cleanse Kara-san and her son?" He smirked when he got everyone's attention. "Let's go, last one there is a rotten egg," he cried out childishly and took off running.

Lin and Gene both resisted the urge to facepalm as they followed after him. Naru remained still for a few minutes, but he soon decided to follow. Mai stood up quietly and limped towards Naru.

Hearing her follow him, he gave her a backwards glance. "Mai, don't-"

He froze as he felt her wrap her arms around his waist. Her head rested on his back as she closed her eyes. They were both still wet from the water, which was a reminder of what could have happened. "Mai?"

"You're an idiot," she whispered. He tensed and made to pull away, but she tightened her hold on him. "Had Gene not been there, you could have easily fallen unconscious in the water after using your PK. You could have died trying to save me. You're an idiot," she repeated as he looked down to see her hands resting on his abdomen.

Both remained silent for a few seconds. She nearly cried as she finally understood everything he had risked for her. He had once again used his PK because of her. She would have been responsible for Naru's death. The logical part of her brain was upset, while the other more sentimental part was touched. Her Naru was willing to die for her. She didn't know if her heart could take anymore.

"Even so, I'm thankful. You saved my life, but Naru, I'm not worth your life. Please, think about your health first next time," she allowed a tear to fall.

Naru frowned and harshly removed her arms from his waist. He then turned and placed his two hands on her shoulders. "Your life is worth so much more than mine," he snapped angrily. "I can't and won't let you die."

Mai's eyes softened as she looked into Naru's heated blue ones. She knew he was worried, so she didn't overreact to his brusque treatment of her.

"My Naru," she whispered as she softly pushed his arms off of her. His arms limply fell on his sides as he appeared startled by her words.

Before she could second guess herself, the brunette wrapped her arms around his neck. Naru's eyes widened as she pulled him down to her level. Time seemed to have slowed down as she closed her eyes and made to kiss his cheek.

Just as her lips were going to make contact with his pale cheek, he shifted and her lips met his. Her eyes snapped open as his arms wrapped around her waist.


	8. Chapter 8

Time seemed to have slowed down for the startled brunette. Her eyes were wide open as she felt Naru pulling her closer to him. She felt his body trembling as he awkwardly mashed their lips together. His lips were surprisingly soft and warm against hers.

Just when she was getting used to having him hold her, he made to pull away.

Finally regaining her senses, Mai placed a hand on the back of his head and pushed his face closer to hers. Her eyes instinctively closed as she tilted her head to get better access to his lips. He remained perfectly still as she began her exploration of his mouth. Her tongue sought his as she tried to get a taste of him. He let out a soft groan as her hand buried itself in his raven hair.

She pulled away to breathe, and he opened his heated blue eyes. Her heart beat accelerated at the sight of his flustered and passionate expression. It was a far cry from his usual icy cold and expressionless expression.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she didn't allow him to as she once again kissed him. She smiled into their kiss when he instinctively responded. He slowly moved his lips and mimicked her movements. Their kiss gradually became more aggressive and passionate as they both sought to be as close as physically possible.

He suddenly pulled away.

Before she could protest, he pecked her lips. She smiled and went to kiss him again, but he took a step back. "We need to discuss this, Mai," he panted as he released her.

Mai frowned, wondering if he regretted kissing her. His eyes softened as he looked into hers, and she immediately discarded that idea

"I know that Gene-," he started, but she interrupted.

"I hope you understand that I don't love your brother. My heart belongs to another idiotic and narcissistic man," Mai interrupted as she looked at him meaningfully. "A man that has foolishly risked his life for me on several occasions."

"I can't give you what you want." His expression hardened. Mai swallowed nervously knowing that if she made one mistake, he would try to ignore the whole incident. He was already trying to put on his impassive mask.

She couldn't have that.

"Ask me again." She whispered pleadingly as she raised her hand to softly rest on his cheek. He froze. "Please, don't try to pull away from me."

He closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them to look into hers imploringly. "Me or Gene?" He asked softly.

"You," she answered with no hesitation. He gave her a genuine smile, and she was caught off guard by how handsome he looked. Never had she seen him smile that way, and it made it so much more special that it was directed at her. "I only love and want you, Oliver Davis."

She had planned on giving a passionate speech about how much she loved him, but her Naru had other plans. He didn't allow her to speak as he gave her a short but loving kiss. When he made to kiss her again, she turned her head.

Without giving him time to read into her actions, she spoke. "I'm ready to hear your confession now."

He sighed as he understood what she wanted. "Mai, I don't-" He paused as he noticed her hopeful brown orbs. He breathed, "I- you….will…I..."

Mai smiled warmly since this was her first time seeing him at a loss of words.

She took pity on him and giggled, "It's okay, I was just teasing. We should go join the others. They must be wondering what's taking us."

She turned to limp away, but he stopped her by grabbing her hand. She looked back at him and felt her cheeks flush as he intertwined their fingers. "I may not be able to give you the declaration of love and devotion that you desire to hear. Nevertheless, I want you to know that you mean everything to me. You are the only woman whose attention I yearn to possess. Knowing you could do so much better torments me, yet I selfishly desire to have your unwavering love." Mai tightened her hold on his hand, and he softly squeezed back.

For her, those words were worth so much more than any other declaration of love. "And you can have all of it, my love is yours," she whispered as she tugged on his hand and embraced him.

She desperately hoped that it wasn't a dream.

"My Oliver," she whispered in his ear. He responded by tightening his hold on her as his lips sought hers.

They were so immersed in each other that they didn't realize that someone had witnessed everything.

Gene smiled sadly as he took in his brother's serene expression and Mai's heartwarming contentment. A lonesome tear trailed down his cheek, and he instinctively wiped it away. "What luck, out of all the women out there, I had to fall for yours Noll," he whispered softly. He smiled to himself as he recalled that in their youth, he had always urged his brother to find someone. His wish came true, even if it was with the woman that he, too, desired.

Hearing soft footsteps approaching, Gene looked up to find Yasu watching him curiously. "What's taking you three so long?" Yasu asked. "I really want you to go meet with the others. Masako will be so mind-blown," the bespectacled youth's grin dropped when he noticed Gene's forlorn expression. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, I'm just feeling those injuries now," he looked at his bruised arm for good measure. "I asked Noll to check on Mai's injuries. He said that they'll meet us when he changes the bandages."

Yasu appeared thoughtful.

"Anyways, I'm fine now," he gave him a bright smile. "Let's go mind-blow Hara-san," Gene grabbed onto Yasu's arm and pulled him away, not wanting his brother and Mai to get interrupted. Nor did he want Yasu to read much into the situation.

"Yes, let's do that, come on hurry," Yasu grinned, effectively distracted. Gene followed slowly and gave one last backwards glance towards base.

He walked upstairs; his steps began getting heavy and sluggish as he walked further away from Mai. He had used up more energy than he had expected to exorcise the spirit and it was taking a toll on his body. With heavy steps, he made it to Aya's bedroom.

Gene held onto the doorway wearily and smiled when he saw that Ayako had just finished wrapping Aya's injuries. John and Lin were absent, they were likely watching Touya. Monk and Masako stood by Emmi's side as she thanked Ayako for helping her sister.

Masako was the one to notice him first. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw him, obviously mistaking him for Naru. Emmi was the second one that noticed his presence.

"Shibuya-san, how is Taniyama-san?" Emmi asked him with a small smile.

"She's fine. How is Nakamura-san?" Gene asked as he turned to the unconscious woman.

"She has a mild concussion, bruises, and a few shallow cuts. She's otherwise unharmed," Ayako responded. "Head injuries tend to appear more serious than they actually are."

"I'm glad," Gene smiled and looked up when he found Masako looking at him oddly. "Hara-san," he politely bowed his head.

Masako looked at him in surprise as she covered her mouth with her kimono. Ayako and Monk finally realized the situation and gasped. They had been so immersed on the spirits and Aya that they had completely forgotten about the whole Gene and Naru incident.

"Have you and Naru-?" Monk didn't get to finish since Gene interrupted him.

"We've been reacquainted," he replied. Ayako and Monk exchanged glances; both were dying to ask how everything went down.

"What do you mean by that?" Masako asked as she looked at him in confusion. Her eyes instinctively went to his bright red shirt.

"That doesn't matter right now. We should prepare to cleanse Kara-san and her son. Our priority should be the case," Gene walked out of the room. Everyone watched him go curiously. Even Yasu wondered what had gotten into the solemn medium.

Once he was out of the room, his steps wavered. Gene held onto the wall for support as he panted for breath. His hand began to shake violently as the energy in his body began to dwindle. He mentally assessed his miserable state and sighed. He then opened his left palm to reveal a bleeding cut.

"Gene-san?" He flinched and looked up to find John staring at him in concern. "Is there something wrong?" Gene tried to smile, but he didn't even have the energy to do so. He was both physically and mentally drained. "Where is Mai?" John asked, instantly understanding the situation.

"She's getting her injuries treated by Noll," Gene replied. John frowned, Gene could handle a little time away from Mai, but it seemed like they had been separated for hours. "I exorcised Tanaka," Gene whispered, knowing it was impossible to hide it from John.

"W-what?" John asked in disbelief. Gene sighed and decided to be honest with him. He knew he could trust John since he had been the one that had given him a lot of tips for exorcisms. "How?"

"I used blood to perform the exorcism," Gene answered, feeling a bit ashamed. John frowned. "I know it's dangerous, but it worked."

The young priest shook his head in disbelief. "I won't bother you or ask why you did it, but I will warn you. Blood magic is a very delicate and dangerous thing to do. Gene-san, please refrain from using it in future exorcisms. It is not something you should perform lightly, especially with a spirit of that caliber."

"I know. So can this remain a secret between us? I don't want the others to worry," Gene looked away, feeling childish now that he had heard John's opinion.

"My lips are sealed," John answered as he offered his shoulder for Gene to lean on.

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Mai walked up stairs with Naru's help. He held onto her shoulder as she guided him towards the room that held the unconscious Touya. They took long in arriving since they both changed out of their wet clothes.

Once they reached the doorway, Mai looked at John and Gene speaking in hushed tones. Lin had his eyes firmly fixed on Touya, who was now tied to a chair. Ayako and Monk were both getting ready for the cleansing. Masako stood by Yasu's side. He was talking and talking, while she appeared to be doing her best to ignore his presence.

"Mai!" Monk was the first to see them. "And Naru, long time no see." He grinned amiably.

"Davis-san," John bowed his head in his direction. Ayako smiled at them, while the rest appeared nonchalant.

"O-Oliver?" Masako stuttered as she looked from Gene to Naru. Her eyes became heavy as she slumped forward. Yasu instinctively held out his arm to stop her from falling.

Naru turned to his brother, who was looking towards the window. "They're here," Gene informed them. His eyes remained fixed on the figures of both spirits. "He's gone; he can't keep you here any longer. You may rest now," Gene smiled warmly.

Mai watched him work in awe. Gene oozed serenity as he spoke to the spirits, and it was evident that it gave them peace. The young boy turned to Mai shyly and then turned to his mother.

"Thank you," Kara whispered happily, and then they both disappeared.

"It's done," Yasu grinned happily as he still held onto the passed out Masako.

Gene slumped against the wall and everyone turned to him in concern. Mai ran up to his side, and she instantly noticed his exhaustion. "Let's rest, Gene. We're done here," Mai said as she held out her hand for him. Gene nodded and took her outstretched hand.

"I suppose we should all rest. It has been a very tiresome day," Yasu yawned.

"I'll wait for the police to arrive for Touya-san. You can all go on ahead and get some rest," John smiled.

"I'll stay up as well," Lin said. Nobody argued with that.

"Then I'll take Masako to bed," Yasu said as he effortlessly picked her up. "I knew she would be shocked, though I never expected her to faint. I'll never let her live it down," Yasu chuckled.

Ayako followed after Yasu to go and check on Masako. Monk left for base to start turning off the cameras and monitors.

While everyone went their separate ways, Mai, Gene and Naru all went to Gene's room. Gene panted for breath as he struggled to walk. Naru helped to take and put his brother to bed.

Gene fell asleep the moment that his head hit the pillow. Naru grabbed a blanket and carefully covered his brother. Once he was sure that Gene was comfortable, he decided to leave.

However, he was shocked when Mai shamelessly lay down in bed next to his brother. "M-Mai!" He called her name in shock, not knowing how to feel. She curled on her side and closed her eyes. She appeared to be completely at ease and comfortable there.

"Relax, I'm doing this so that he can get better," she whispered tiredly. She could already feel Gene draining her energy. "When he overdoes it, he needs a lot of rest and proximity to me."

"I see," Naru commented as he turned to his brother's serene expression. He furrowed his brows thoughtfully; he was starting to get more interested in the necromancer's methods. It was evident that Mai was his anchor to the living world, which was something impressive since he had never heard of necromancers using living people. Could that be why his brother's revival was successful?

"You should rest as well. I'm sure you're exhausted from your flight, the drive and rescuing me," Mai mumbled tiredly as she inched closer to Gene so that she could make space for him.

"It would not be appropriate," Naru declined tensely when he saw her intentions. "Inviting men to share a bed with you? Honestly, Mai, I expected better from you."

"We're just sleeping, you prude," Mai opened her eyes tiredly.

He glared at her.

"Stop being so difficult and come lay down."

He frowned, and for a moment she thought that he would decline. Finally, he let out a sigh and lay down next to her. Mai giggled when she noticed how tense he was. He kept his arms locked by his side as he tried to avoid touching her.

Mai turned on her side and looked at him with a loving smile. It was dark, so she could barely make out his striking features. Yet she couldn't help from staring. That handsome man was finally hers, and she still couldn't believe it.

"I know I'm handsome, but please restrain yourself from staring and go to sleep," He said as he closed his eyes.

Mai's smile dropped and she glared at him.

"Jerk"


	9. Chapter 9

Naru was the first one to wake up. He opened his eyes slowly as he felt a small weight on his shoulder. He was confused until he remembered that he had slept in the same bed as Mai and his brother.

Naru carefully sat up and silently observed them. Mai slept on her side, facing him. While Gene lay down facing the opposite direction. Their breathing was synchronized as they both smiled in their sleep.

The younger twin couldn't contain the small smile from appearing as it sunk in that he now had the two most important people in his life with him. Just yesterday morning, he had been miserable and alone, but so much had changed in the span of a few hours. His brother was returned to him, and he found out that Mai reciprocated his feelings.

Gene shifted and then opened his eyes. Blue eyes met identical blue eyes. Gene appeared to be startled at seeing him, but his gaze then shifted to Mai. His eyes softened at the sight of her peaceful expression. He carefully sat up. "I shouldn't have been surprised that she convinced you to sleep here," he chuckled as he brushed a strand of hair from her face tenderly.

Naru froze at the tender gesture and loving expression that his brother wore. He had always known that Gene also felt something for her. "Gene-"

"I love her," Gene admitted softly. Naru frowned at the bold declaration. He knew it, but he never expected his brother to be so blunt about it. Then again, Gene was always open about his emotions. "And you love her, too." Naru didn't deny it. "She chose you, Noll, and I respect that."

"Why are you telling me this?" Naru asked as he clenched his fist. Although he knew that his brother loved Mai, it didn't make it any easier to hear him admit it. He would have preferred it if Gene had remained quiet about his feelings. At least that way, he could have pretended that he didn't know.

"Because I want you to know that I won't try to take her from you," Gene smiled sadly. His melancholic expression then morphed into determination. "However, if I ever have the opportunity to be with her, I will take it with no hesitation."

Naru's jaw clenched at the warning. "I understand."

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Mai groaned as she carried the last of the equipment back to the van. Yasu closed the trunk as they both slumped tiredly.

"One day Mai, one day, us lowly peasants will rise above them," Yasu exclaimed dramatically as he turned to Naru and Gene, who were both talking to the client. Aya seemed worn out and depressed, which was understandable, seeing as her brother had just confessed his crimes.

Emmi ran to them, and Mai was caught off guard when she suddenly embraced her. "Thank you so much for opening our eyes and for helping us."

Mai smiled and returned the hug. Yasu excused himself and left to the van with John and Ayako. Monk started the van, preparing to take both Mai and Gene.

"I'm sorry for judging you before I even knew you. Truthfully, I was a bit jealous of you," Emmi admitted as she pulled away.

"Jealous of me?" Mai asked in disbelief. Emmi nodded.

"Yes, you're just so pretty, and Gene-san seems to be so in love and devoted to you." Emmi looked down in embarrassment. Mai, on the other hand, was shocked. Where did Emmi get the idea that Gene loved her? "However, it seems my jealousy was unwarranted seeing as you and Shibuya-san appear to be _very_ close." Emmi smirked teasingly.

Mai blushed as she remembered Naru's admission of his love for her.

"He must really love you," Emmi sighed dreamily, taking her blush as an admission. Mai smiled softly, but it disappeared the moment that she saw the pale medium.

Masako walked out of the house with her usual air of superiority. She had woken up a couple of hours ago, and Yasu gave her all the details about Gene's revival. As expected, she had been stunned, but it wore off when she saw Naru. She had blushed at the sight of him. It was evident that she still favored Naru over Gene, and it made a certain brunette jealous.

Mai hadn't forgotten that Masako had followed Naru all the way to England. She couldn't even imagine what Masako had done to try to get his attention. Millions of scenarios popped up in her head, each worse than the other. One in particular had her spitting fire. Masako embracing a distraught Naru at Gene's funeral. The manipulative medium was seducing him, and poor vulnerable Naru allowed himself to be held and manipulated.

Before she even realized it, she had been grumbling angrily under her breath. Her hands were clenched as they shook with evident anger. Emmi sweat dropped at the sight of the fuming brunette.

"T-Taniyama-san?" she called her nervously.

"That Masako is going to pay!" Mai growled as she glared at Masako. As if sensing the angry daggers being sent in her direction, Masako looked up at Mai with a smirk. She was gloating since she was going to ride in the van with Lin and Naru.

"C-Can we exchange numbers to keep in contact?" Emmi asked, still feeling nervous by the murderous aura surrounding Mai.

As those words sunk in, Mai's whole expression changed. Her expression softened as she smiled kindly at Emmi. "Of course! I'm sure we'll be good friends," Mai smiled happily. Emmi gulped at the abrupt change.

The two girls exchanged numbers and e-mails and promised to keep in contact with each other. They were barely going to start talking about their favorite foods, when Gene interrupted them.

"Mai, we really should get going," Gene smiled at Emmi politely. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Nakamura-san. I do hope we cross paths again in the future."

Emmi nodded shyly. She then waved goodbye at Mai as Gene started urging her towards the van. "Gene, what's the rush?" Mai asked as he practically dragged her to the van.

"Didn't you hear? Noll accepted a case this morning. We are expected there in four hours," Gene informed her as he stopped by the van's door.

"What? Another case so soon? We just got out of this one," Mai sighed tiredly.

"Better for us, we already have our luggage made and the equipment is packed," Gene grinned as Mai glared at him.

Her glare wavered at his soft expression. Emmi's words came back to her as she considered the possibilities of Gene liking her. Although she didn't want to believe it, deep down she knew that it wasn't impossible. He did favor her company over everyone else's, and he was always looking out for her. But did that mean that he loved her? She shook her head, knowing that the possibilities were slim. He could just be grateful since his life depended on her.

The medium placed a tender hand on her cheek.

"Thank you so much, Mai. Thanks to you I'm alive, and I got to see Noll and Lin again." Mai blushed in embarrassment when Gene gave her a loving smile. He gently grabbed her hand. "Mai, I-"

"Mai," Naru called her name, and Mai instantly pulled her hand away from Gene. She turned to Naru happily as he approached her. Her whole expression brightened by his appearance. Although his expression remained neutral, he was inwardly pleased by her reaction to him.

Her cheeks suddenly became bright red as she wondered how to act around him now that they were together. Was their relationship a secret? Were they supposed to act distant? As usual?

He reached out and grabbed her hand. Mai mentally squealed in delight. _Take that, Masako_! She thought gleefully.

"I take it that Gene informed you about the case," he observed and she nodded. "We shouldn't delay," he told her. Mai took the hint and went inside the van. Her hand tingled as it missed the warmth of his hand.

Once Mai was inside, Naru turned to his brother. "Did you really just come here to subtly warn me away, Noll?" Gene chuckled at his brother's guarded expression.

Naru remained silent, and Gene got his answer.

Truthfully, Naru had been bothered by the fact that Gene and Mai would be together in the van for four hours. Even though she said she loved him, he couldn't help but fear that she would realize her mistake. If she found out about Gene's feelings, perhaps she would decide that Gene was the better choice. He was charming, kind, loving, and he knew how to express himself.

Without saying a word, Naru left and got on the van with Lin and Masako. Gene watched him go with a small smile.

"I never thought I'd see the day that you were jealous," Gene whispered to himself.

Although they were close, Gene often felt jealous and inferior to his brother. Oliver was always so intelligent and perfect. He never scored low marks, he got a PH degree at a young age, and he always impressed their parents. Gene, on the other hand, was only charming in his personality. He was good in academics, but he was nowhere near his brother.

Girls often flocked around them. However, they were usually turned off by his brother's cold and aloof attitude. He considered them a nuisance and a waste of time. Many of them had approached Gene to get a reaction out of Oliver, yet it never worked. His brother never cared for any of them, but now it was different.

Without even trying, Mai had Oliver wrapped around her little finger. She obviously didn't understand the true extent of his feelings for her. Noll had never willingly grabbed a girl's hand, and he had never kissed anyone before. Many girls had attempted to seduce him, but they all failed.

Gene knew his brother well, and he knew that Noll would never willingly let her go. And yet, he selfishly wished that Noll would mess things up so that Mai could go to him instead.

Gene chuckled at the irony. He was always considered the selfless and kind twin, yet here he was, wishing that he was the one that held Mai's affections.

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They all stopped at a small restaurant to have breakfast before arriving to their next case. The first to arrive were Mai, Gene and Takigawa since a certain monk had been speeding. He had been complaining about the hunger for several hours before they decided to pull over. Mai then called Ayako and Naru to inform them about the quick stop. Naturally, they decided to join them.

Mai looked around the restaurant and noticed that it was empty. She honestly didn't mind having the restaurant to themselves, but it made her a bit uncomfortable for some reason. The restaurant was old and worn, but it had been the only one that they had seen for miles.

She turned to Gene, who was already looking for a place to sit. He took the window seat, and Mai sat opposite to him.

Takigawa excused himself as he went to the restroom before the others arrived.

Gene sat as he looked around to find the owner of the restaurant. They didn't have to wait for long before a young man arrived. He was extremely lanky and pale. His dark eyes became fixed on the brunette, while he completely ignored Gene. "How may I be of assistance?" he asked hoarsely.

"We are expecting company. Therefore, if it's not too much of a bother, we would like to see the menu," Gene answered with a polite smile. The man nodded and abruptly left. His eyes lingered on Mai, which caused her to shiver involuntarily.

Gene opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by the sound of a bell. They looked up to find Naru, Lin and Masako walking in. Once again, Mai smiled at the sight of Naru.

Masako wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight of the dingy restaurant. It seemed that it wasn't up to par with her expectations. While she was looking around, she didn't notice that Naru had already taken a seat next to Mai, while Lin sat next to him.

When she turned back towards them, she frowned. She had wanted to sit next to Naru, but Lin and Mai had taken up those two seats.

She suppressed a sigh and walked towards Gene. Her eyes remained fixed on the older twin for a couple of seconds before she sat next to him. Gene gave her a sideway glance before he turned to look at his brother and Lin.

"What took you all so long? Mai and I were already considering taking a nap." Gene teased with a small grin, that didn't go unnoticed by Masako. The dark haired medium blushed, having never seen that expression in Naru before.

"Had you all been mindful and respectful of traffic rules, you wouldn't have had to wait for long," Naru shot back. Gene rolled his eyes.

Mai remained silent as she looked at Naru's hand. He had held her hand earlier, but that had only been in front of Gene. Would it be okay for her to grab his hand now? Masako and Lin were present, and Mai knew that he valued privacy. Then again, he did say that he loved her.

The brunette bit her lower lip as she mentally braced herself. She slowly grabbed his hand without looking at him. She nearly sighed in relief when he responded by intertwining their fingers.

Mai was half tempted to raise their joined hands so that everyone could see, specifically Masako. As that thought crossed her mind, she mentally shook it away. Although the medium was a bit stubborn and arrogant at times, she didn't deserve the heart break that she was sure to receive when she found out.

"Are you ready to order?" The hoarse voice was back. Mai flinched and looked up to find the pale man looking at her and then at Masako. Takigawa arrived at that time and took a seat next to Masako.

Gene gave the man a strained smile and ordered for everyone, except for those that hadn't arrived. The man didn't even bother jotting down the notes as he kept his gaze fixed on the two females. Once they were done ordering, he nodded and walked away. His gaze lingered on Masako, and like with Mai, he grinned. He disappeared behind the kitchen door.

"Something feels wrong about him," Mai commented without thinking.

"I feel you, he seems like such a peculiar character," Takigawa shivered. As they waited for their food, they couldn't help but notice that the others hadn't arrived yet. What was with the delay?

"Something's wrong," Mai frowned as she felt her gut clenching in dread.

"Should we call them?" Gene asked in concern. Mai nodded and waited for Gene to call Yasu. Unfortunately, the call was sent straight to voicemail. He then tried John, and it did the same thing. Now concerned, he called Ayako, but the same thing happened.

"This is worrisome," Lin commented with a serious expression.

"Should we go check on them? Maybe they got a flat tire or they're having car troubles," Takigawa stood. "I can go check on them."

"You shouldn't go alone, maybe you should take Lin-san," Mai interjected in concern.

"She's right, take Lin with you," Naru said before they could protest. Lin looked like he wanted to argue, but his concern for his friends had him accepting. Soon, Takigawa and Lin left in one of the vans.

The four of them remained silent as they waited for Takigawa and Lin's call. Mai really hoped that nothing had happened to their friends.

Her instincts nagged at her, and she got frustrated not knowing what they warned her about.

As if sensing her thoughts, Naru tightened his hold on her comfortingly.

Masako suddenly stood, and Mai worried that she had noticed their joined hands. However, the medium's gaze had been drawn to the kitchen doors.

"Masako?" Mai called her name, but she didn't turn to look at her. Naru and Gene also looked at her, wondering what she was up to.

"Our food hasn't arrived," Masako commented. Mai furrowed her eyebrows wondering what she was getting at. "It's quiet, too quiet. Shouldn't we be hearing the food being prepared? In addition to that, there aren't any stores, gas stations or houses nearby. Wouldn't that mean that nobody could hear us in case something happened?" Masako asked as Mai gasped.

The twins instantly stood as they understood the meaning of her words. Naru kept his grip on her hand as he quietly started leading her outside. Gene and Masako quietly followed. Unfortunately, they stopped by the door and noticed the bell.

"We're going to have to run fast," Naru whispered as Gene quietly pulled out the keys to the van. Takigawa had forgotten to take them in his haste to go help the others. Mai felt her heart pounding as she nodded. Just then, the door to the kitchen was opened and the man looked at them.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked with a maniacal grin. In one hand, he held a large butcher knife and in the other, he held a pistol. They all ran outside fast as they could. The man chuckled and proceeded to run after them.

Gene quickly got on the van and started it. The rest got in and waited for Gene to reverse. The older twin started the van and quickly reversed, narrowly missing the man, who had been close to catching them. They all winced as they heard a loud gun shot hitting the side of their van.

Just then, a worn out old truck drove out from behind the restaurant. Mai gasped as Gene hit the accelerator. Another pale man drove the car and stopped so that his partner could go in.

Gene's crazy driving had them rocking from side to side as he struggled to keep the van in place. Mai gripped his seat tightly as the medium laughed nervously.

"Now would not be a good time to admit that I've never driven before, right?" Gene smiled as he continued with his reckless driving. Mai would have asked him to pull over, if it wasn't for the psychos trailing behind them. "Noll, this is as fast as the van can travel." Gene's voice quivered nervously as he struggled to keep from driving out of the pavement.

Naru's jaw clenched as the temperature in the van dropped. "I see where you're going with this Noll, but we can't just stop to blast them into oblivion with your PK," Gene shook his head. "It's too risky, they might put a bullet to your head before we could do the exchange."

Masako and Mai held each other as they looked back. The man's eyes met Mai's, and he grinned. His eyes then traveled to Masako's, his expression was lustful.

Mai fumbled with her phone as she messaged and called Lin. However, like with the rest, it sent her straight to voicemail. "What in the world is going on?" She asked.

Masako and Mai then let out a scream as the men shot at the glass. It shattered and both females trembled in fear. "Gene, now!" Naru cried out.

The blue eyed male nodded and suddenly made a left turn and hit the breaks. They screamed as they were jolted back. "What are you two doing?" Masako asked fearfully as she noticed the two men stopping their truck.

Gene and Naru transferred their energy and blasted it to one of the truck's tires. The men didn't see it coming as the impact caused their truck to swivel and hit a tree.

The twins ran towards the two men. They pulled them out of the truck and threw them against the floor. Mai and Masako watched as they punched and kicked the men until they were both unconscious and severely injured.

"How did you know?" Mai asked Masako as she relaxed. If it hadn't been for Masako's observation, they could have all been dead by now.

"You seemed uncomfortable about something, and you said that something felt wrong about him. Your instincts are never wrong," Masako whispered. Mai mentally gasped since that meant that Masako both listened and trusted her. Her expression then softened as she embraced the pale medium. Masako stiffened, but she returned the embrace.

Naru slapped the man from the restaurant awake. Gene didn't even wince as the man started to bleed from his nose. "They're going to die," he chuckled.

"Who will?" Gene frowned angrily. Instead of answering, the man turned to the two females, who stiffened at the attention. His eyes seemed to become demonic as he watched them with an evil glint.

"Don't even look at them," Naru tugged on the man's collar.

"Mistress Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow? With cockle shells and silver bells. And pretty maids all in a row." The man chuckled maniacally. He then pulled out the pistol. Naru defensively made to grab it, but it was too late. The man pulled the trigger and shot himself.

Mai screamed in horror as Masako held her tightly. Gene winced.

Naru slowly stood as he looked at the blood that now covered him. The blood had splattered all over his clothes and face. Gene removed his sweater and offered it to his brother. Naru slowly grabbed it and used it to clean his face.

Mai couldn't stand to see the grotesque corpse, so she turned away.

Something caught her eye and she stiffened. Everyone noticed her tense form and followed her line of sight.

"It seems we've arrived," Gene commented as they saw a dark, ominous and large mansion in the distance.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thank you so much for the love and support you all have shown to my book. I apologize for taking so long in posting. I had so many things to deal with. Hope you like this new chapter :)

Lin frowned as he looked at the van's tire. He kneeled down to observe carefully and meticulously. His eyes narrowed as he ran his finger through the holes on the tire.

"We honestly don't know where it came from," Yasu chimed in as he rubbed his aching head. He then presented four bullets to Lin. "We looked around, but we couldn't find anyone. Then again, we haven't really moved much since we knew you guys would come looking for us."

Lin took them and observed each one, while Takigawa attended the others. He cleaned Ayako's wounds carefully. Fortunately, none of them had been injured severely. They had only gotten a few scrapes and bruises from the violent jerking.

"I doubt their intentions were to kill us, just immobilize us," John said as he showed him his phone. "None of our cell phones have signal in this particular area which gives me the impression that this was done on purpose."

"I agree with John, it would be too much of a coincidence that we couldn't call for help. I can bet you anything that there's a device around the area that is meant to block our signal," Yasu said as he adjusted his glasses.

Lin listened attentively as he looked around. His shiki were all unsettled, which was never a good sign. When it came to Mai and his shiki, he had learned to trust their instincts.

Something was amiss.

Noticing Lin's tense form, Takigawa frowned as he helped Ayako stand.

"I say we get out of here before we get into serious problems," he said as he pulled Ayako towards the other van. Thunder rumbled in the distance and he cursed under his breath. "Let's hurry or we'll get caught in the rain."

John agreed as he and Yasu went towards the other vehicle that Monk and Lin had brought. Lin's eyebrows furrowed as a low groan got his attention. The Chinese man turned towards the sound and froze. His visible eye widened in disbelief.

A woman stood in the distance. She wore a blood red dress. Her raven black hair shielded her expression, except her eye, from them. She may have seemed normal if you ignored the fact that she had blood red eyes, or the fact that her body was dripping in blood. She walked awkwardly as her bones seemed to crack with every movement. Her neck popped as she tilted her head demonically.

Lin instantly reacted. He let out a shrill whistle as he sent out his shiki. However, they didn't seem able to hurt her. The entity continued taking her blood curling steps.

The female's neck made a cracking noise as she tilted her neck sharply towards the others. Ayako froze in terror as their eyes locked. Takigawa shielded her with his body, yet her eyes didn't leave Ayako's form.

John held his rosary as he started praying. "In the beginning there was the word and the word was God…," the female turned to John. Her eyes turned hateful as she shrieked loudly before disappearing.

They let out a breath that they didn't know that they had been holding. However, it was short lived since Yasu let out a string of curses. They all turned to see what had his attention, and they all frowned.

The tires had been slashed.

"That spirit was very powerful," John observed as he looked at the tire.

They all solemnly watched it as Lin wordlessly walked towards his van. He opened the van's trunk and pulled out a spare tire.

"Now that's convenient. I knew big boss kept you for a reason," Yasu joked.

"Mai!" Ayako suddenly cried as she looked from monk to Lin. "Where did you leave her?"

"Don't worry, old lady, we left them at a restaurant," Monk tried calming her down.

Before she could retaliate, the thunder rumbled loudly and it began to rain. Ayako shrieked as monk ushered everyone inside the van. He and Lin worked together in changing the tire since they wanted the others to rest.

"I'm worried about Mai," Takigawa admitted to Lin as they changed the tire. "I'm sure she'll be fine. Naru and Gene will do everything in their power to protect her and Masako. The only thing that troubles me is the thought that they'll go on a case without us. Whether Naru admits it or not, they need us."

"Your concern is unwarranted. Naru knows that he should wait for us, so they should still be at the restaurant," Lin replied as he continued, unbothered by the rain, to change the tire.

Takigawa smiled, "Yeah, you're probably right."

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As the corpse was picked up, Mai refused to even turn to look at it. Her fragile heart could not bear to see the gruesome sight again. Not now, especially since the man's last words had sounded so ominous. Although Gene assured her that it was mere gibberish, Mai could not believe it. Her gut clenched in warning. The other man was arrested as Naru spoke with the officers.

They had been asked to make a statement. Mai felt like a failure and weakling since she had broken down and cried, while the others had answered calmly.

Thunder rumbled in the distance ominously, yet none of them paid attention to it.

"They're leaving," Gene whispered as he watched the police and ambulance drive away. Nobody acknowledged his words as they were all lost in thought. It was Naru, who reacted first. He got into the driver's seat of their beat up van. "Noll, I'm driving," he protested.

"I would rather arrive to our destination in one piece," Naru retorted as he started the van. His eyes sought Mai's, who was vacantly staring into the distance. "Mai," she started at his words. "Let's go."

She nodded and went into the passenger seat. Masako was about to protest, but her voice betrayed her when Gene grabbed her arm and pulled her to the back.

It soon started raining. Masako and Gene were getting wet because of the missing piece of glass on the back of the van, yet they didn't complain. They were too lost in thought.

Unlike Gene, Naru had more control of the wheel when driving. He was gentle in his driving as he kept his eyes on the mansion that was about half a mile away.

Thunder illuminated the mansion, which lit it threateningly. The rain made it difficult to examine, so Mai didn't even bother. The gates had already been opened, so they didn't have to wait to get in.

None of them spoke as Naru parked right outside the mansion carefully.

Masako and Gene simultaneously winced. "What's wrong?" Mai asked in concern. "Are you-" She froze as her gut clenched in warning. Her eyes widened as her heart began pounding in fear.

Naru, the only one that was unaffected, turned to them. "What do you sense?" he asked no one in particular.

It was Gene who answered.

"Noll, this place doesn't feel right," he frowned as he held his head. "I don't like it at all."

Naru frowned as he also looked at the mansion.

As if on cue, the doors were opened. An old man stood by the entrance with two large umbrellas. He approached the van with a friendly smile. He stopped on Mai's door. "You must be the paranormal investigators," he spoke loudly, over the pouring rain. "I'm afraid we don't have many umbrellas, but this will have to do," he said as he handed it to Mai.

Mai gratefully took it as Naru got out of the vehicle, uncaring that he got wet. Mai protested, but he didn't listen. Instead, he robotically went to the back and pulled out some of the equipment. Gene followed suit.

Mai and Masako wanted to help, but Gene urged them inside. Both females obeyed since the twins were solemn. Mai and Masako shared the umbrella and followed the man inside.

The old man led them to a couch in front of a fireplace so that they could get warmed up. "I'll have someone bring you some towels and help your friends. Excuse me," he bowed lightly and left.

"Thank you," Mai whispered as she shivered. Masako also shivered as she struggled to maintain her composure. Her face was even paler than usual.

"Are you alright?" Mai asked her.

"I'm fine, do not concern yourself with me, Taniyama," she answered coldly. Mai sighed as she realized that she was back to square one with the medium.

Just when she thought that they were getting along.

00000000000000000000000000000000

Naru and Gene walked into the mansion with the equipment. They didn't care that they were soaking wet as they each wondered if the equipment was safe. The cameras were water-proof, yet the monitors were not. Fortunately, the bullets from the altercation hadn't hit any of them, so there was a good chance that they were still working.

"Noll, what are we going to do about Lin and the others?" Gene asked as they were showed to their room so that they could change out of their wet clothes.

"We'll wait for them here. That's the only thing we can do at the moment," Naru answered as he removed his wet shirt. "There's no way we can go back to that restaurant."

"You're right, and Lin is probably already on his way. I'm sure they're fine," Gene agreed. "And Mai?" Gene asked as he made no move to change.

"What about Mai?" Naru asked defensively. Gene sighed as he had already predicted his brother's reaction. Then again, he couldn't really blame him.

"She must have had quite a shock and scare because of what we saw. She may need comforting," Gene informed him.

"I am aware," Naru answered without looking at Gene.

"What will you do?" the older twin asked seriously.

Naru remained tense, yet he didn't reply. Gene frowned, knowing his brother wasn't going to answer. He took a deep breath as he mentally braced himself.

"If you do not provide her with the comfort that she needs, Noll, then I will." Naru's jaw clenched at his brother's words. "I know what you're thinking and you're wrong. I will not make any unwanted advances. I already told you that I won't try to take her from you. I care for her just as much as you do. I'm just concerned. Knowing her, she will put up a strong front to keep us from worrying, and we must not let her. It's unhealthy to just ignore the issue."

Instead of answering, Naru quickly dressed and walked out of the room. Gene smiled as he watched him disappear down the hall.

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Mai and Masako sat together silently. The young brunette occasionally glanced at Masako, yet the medium refused to meet her gaze. They had already changed out of their wet clothes, so they were waiting for the twins to return.

Masako looked so composed, which made Mai question herself. Was she being too dramatic? The man's death haunted her thoughts, yet Masako and the others had seemed completely fine.

Naru returned and Mai smiled when she saw him, yet he remained as stoic as ever. No surprise there. Masako visibly relaxed at his presence. "Oliver, are you-"

"Mai, you shouldn't lounge around doing nothing. Go set up the cameras," Naru spoke up curtly. Mai winced at his tone but didn't argue. She stood up and grabbed a bag.

Without a second glance, she walked past him. She normally would have come up with a way to respond rudely, yet she held back. She felt too emotionally and physically drained to argue.

She was surprised when he wordlessly followed her. He took the bag from her hand and continued walking as if he had done the most natural thing in the world. Mai blinked a few times but then followed him.

They started setting up the cameras silently. Mai wanted to break the uncomfortable silence, yet she didn't know how to.

Her eyes clenched shut as she tried to forget the memory of Naru's face splattered in blood. Her poor Naru had had a front row ticket in witnessing a man's grotesque death. He had looked so pale and shocked. Other than that, he had made no other reaction. It bothered her since she knew that he was likely just holding back on his feelings.

She turned to look at him and was surprised that he was also looking at her. Her eyes looked into his as she tried to figure out his feelings, yet she was only able to decipher concern.

Concern for her.

"Naru, I'm alright," she whispered as his eyes softened. "My only concern is you."

"Don't be ridiculous," he said with a hint of fondness. Her hand pressed to his cheek as she looked into his captivating blue eyes. "I'm alright now," he answered honestly as she embraced him tightly.

Truthfully, he had been a bit disturbed by what had occurred. It had been a haunting sight even to an experienced investigator like him, but he had brushed it off. He had been more concerned for Mai, and it turned out that she had been concerned for him.

For _him_.

He slowly embraced her tightly. His eyes shut as he pressed a loving kiss to her forehead.

"I'm here for you in case you ever want to talk about it, or in case you need anything," she whispered.

"There is one thing I need," he admitted and as expected, she looked up at him seriously. Her eyes filled with determination as she wished to help him with whatever he needed. Naru rarely depended on anyone, so it made her happy when he- "Mai, tea," he smirked as she gaped in disbelief.

Out of all the things to ask for…well she really wasn't surprised. She looked up to find Naru's eyes shining in mirth.

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While those two were setting up the equipment, Masako and Gene were in base. Gene was busy setting up the computer and monitors, while Masako sat in a couch a couple of feet away. She kept her eyes on Gene as he was engrossed in his work. His serious expression was so similar to Oliver's that she could have almost sworn that she was with him.

Their faces, hair, and even expressions were so alike at that moment. She hadn't been around Gene long enough to discern his personality seeing as he was more reserved around her. However, she had heard that he was the total opposite to Oliver. Although Oliver was more-

"Don't," Gene's voice interrupted her from her musings. Her eyes widened as he gave her a sideway glance, "Don't compare us."

The pale medium used her kimono to cover her mouth as she struggled to maintain her composure. His eyes were so similar to Oliver's in that moment.

His eyes turned back to the monitor as he turned it on. The cameras captured his brother and Mai leaning towards each other for a tender embrace. The older twin struggled to maintain his expression neutral as the scene in front of him tore his heart.

"How dare she?" Masako asked angrily. She stood up abruptly and made to storm out the door, but Gene halted her.

"You will not go interfere," he told her seriously.

"I did not ask your permission," Masako turned away.

Gene sighed as he finally turned to look at her. "Miss Hara, surely you must be able to understand that your feelings are not reciprocated."

"What do you know?" She asked defensively.

"I know that she loves him…and that he loves her," he responded.

"You lie, Oliver-"

"You should be satisfied with his friendship. Don't expect anything more than that." Tears gathered in her eyes, yet she pridefully held them back.

"And you must be an expert at that, seeing as she only has eyes for Oliver. Don't bother denying it, your feelings for her are so obvious, it's pathetic," Masako retorted spitefully. Her hands shook as she tried to control her emotions.

"I won't deny that I love her. Which is why I will not get in the way of their relationship. If you truly love him, don't get involved. Noll won't ever forgive you if you get in the way or if you hurt Mai," Gene warned her seriously.

"Unlike you, I'm not satisfied with friendship. Mai will never love you, but-"  
"And that bitterness and spiteful attitude, is the reason why Noll never even gave you a second glance. Now if you excuse me, I have better things to do than to deal with you," Gene responded as he turned back to what he was doing. Masako finally allowed the tears to fall from her eyes. She used her kimono sleeve to cover her mouth as she sobbed quietly.

Gene closed his eyes as he tried not to feel guilty. He knew that he had been a jerk, yet he didn't know how else to get through to her. It was unhealthy for the medium to latch onto her unrequited feelings.

He knew he was being hypocritical since he still held onto his feelings for Mai. However, he couldn't help saying those things to the other medium since she reminded him of himself.

The other medium.

He mentally chuckled at the irony. The two mediums in the group were both in love with someone that didn't love them back. He shook his head and sighed. Although he knew that he was very attractive, he also knew that he would never find someone. He was living on a borrowed life, after all. Dark magic was the only reason he was living, and he didn't know what would happen once the necromancer was found. He could drop dead within the hour for all he knew.

He looked up at Masako, who was wiping her tears with the sleeve of her kimono. Unlike him, he knew that she would definitely find someone. In addition to being beautiful, she was talented, dedicated and loyal, which were all good qualities.

Unfortunately, her feelings for his brother brought out the worse in her. He did mean what he said, she was very bitter and spiteful, but he understood her. She had been in love with his brother for so long, and to her, Mai was an obstacle. Her frustrations and insecurities caused her to lash out on the brunette and on him earlier. She may not be the best person to express her feelings, but she was by no means a bad person.

For this reason, he didn't take any offense to her words, which were spoken out of spite. He hurt her, so she wanted to hurt him. Unfortunately, her words just made him pity her.

Several uncomfortable minutes passed by, yet they were still trapped in the uncomfortable silence. Gene distracted himself by looking through the case files that Lin had sent to him.

Masako had composed herself by the time Naru and Mai had returned. She refused to meet them in the eyes, which Mai found odd since she had expected Masako to be all over Naru.

The medium met Naru's gaze and wordlessly stood. "I'll walk around to get a feel of the place," she said as Mai frowned. Something was wrong with her. Naru also seemed to notice it since he watched her for a few seconds before taking a seat beside his brother.

"That will not be necessary," Naru said as he grabbed a stack of articles. Masako looked ready to argue since she had wanted an excuse to leave the room. Mai observed Masako seriously and walked up to her.

"Want to go make tea with me?" Mai asked Masako, who was deliberately avoiding looking in the twins' direction. Masako nodded meekly, which was very uncharacteristic of the fair skinned medium.

"Mai," Naru called her name in warning. She looked up to find him frowning at her. She should have known that he would be against it. They hadn't explored the mansion yet, and without the others, it was going to be that much more dangerous.

"We'll just be in the kitchen, I promise we won't go far," Mai looked up at Naru, silently begging him to let them go. "Besides, you know spirits rarely do anything on the first day."

"Rarely is not the same as never," Gene intervened, siding with Naru.

"But-"

"No, Mai," Gene shook his head and then glanced at Masako. Mai sighed and looked at the medium, only to find her already walking towards the door. She quickly took off after her. She grabbed her wrist gently.

"Masako!? Stop, we shouldn't-"

"Let go, Taniyama," Masako pulled her hand away. Mai made to grab her wrist again.

"Let her go," Gene said as he looked back to his computer. "If she wants to go, then we can't stop her." Masako paused, and then continued walking away.

Mai's eyes widened at Gene's words. She had expected him and Naru to try to stop her.

Well maybe not Naru.

The brunette watched Masako go and sighed. She turned back to Naru and Gene. "I'm sorry, but I can't let her go off alone," she said as she followed Masako. Naru looked like he was ready to follow, but Gene spoke.

"Noll, they'll be fine. The kitchen is only a few feet away, and we can see them through the monitors." Gene looked at the monitor for good measure. Naru didn't argue, though his eyes remained glued to the monitors as well.

Mai ran after Masako and followed her silently. Unfortunately, the medium hadn't gone to the kitchen after all. Instead, Masako had led them to the ballroom. Mai would have been worried, but the camera that her and Naru had set up earlier, comforted her. The twins were watching over them, and they would show up if anything happened.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mai asked, already knowing the answer. As expected, Masako didn't answer. Mai sighed as she decided to at least look around.

Although the mansion was very dark and somber, it was quite beautiful. The ballroom in particular was in good shape. The golden chandelier, as well as the golden staircases were very elegant. The floor was polished and clean, but cracks were becoming visible. The paint on the walls were starting to peel, but it didn't detract from the room's splendor.

Mai closed her eyes as she visualized how it looked before age wore it down. The walls were untouched by time as the large chandelier was glowing in elegance. People wore their traditional English clothes, which Mai found odd since they were in Japan. She imagined people waltzing elegantly as others conversed. She could even hear the melodious symphonies that were playing in the background.

Mai observed her surroundings and was captivated by everything. People ate in their elegant tables. Laughter could be heard from every corner as everyone appeared to be content, yet none of them acknowledged her.

They couldn't see her.

She walked past the dancing couples as she looked up the staircase only to find a beautiful raven haired female standing at the top. Her hair was done in an elaborate, yet elegant, bun. She wore a bright red dress that hugged her figure beautifully.

Mai noticed she just observed the dancing couples without joining in. Her eyes scanned the crowds until they met hers. Mai froze, wondering if it had been a mere coincidence. However, her eyes remained locked with hers. The brunette took several steps back as the woman started walking down the stairs.

Mai felt fear grip her heart as she continued taking backwards steps without breaking eye contact with the woman. Finally, Mai felt the wall behind her and in the blink of an eye, everyone disappeared.

The mansion was back to normal.

What shocked her the most was that Gene and Naru were both standing in front of her. Naru gripped her shoulders tightly as he looked into her eyes. Gene stood behind his brother, but his eyes were also on her. They both seemed concerned.

"What happened?" Mai asked, feeling a bit disoriented.

"The monitors caught the presence of hundreds of spirits here with you," Gene answered worriedly. "Noll and I came here as soon as possible, but you were in a trance. I believe you were pulled into a vision." Gene looked up at the staircase, where the woman had stood earlier. "I also felt the presence of the entity that haunts this place."

Mai followed his line of sight and shivered. If it had been a vision, how did that woman see her? She had even tried to approach her while everyone else had been oblivious to her presence. Did Masako see it too?

Remembering the other female, Mai turned to Masako. She sat a few feet away, yet her eyes were also locked on the staircase. She stared at it without blinking.

"She was overwhelmed by the spirit's anger and hatred, as well as the emotions of the other spirits. There were hundreds of them," Gene informed her as he walked towards the staircase to look around. His eyes darted every time something got his attention.

Mai watched Gene as he stood in the exact place that the woman had stood on earlier. He suddenly swayed in his step as he placed a hand on his forehead. Had it not been for the railing next to him, he would have fallen down. Naru frowned at his brother's reaction since Gene was rarely ever affected by a spirit's energy.

Once he regained his composure, he walked down the stairs to continue looking around. All the while, he waved away their concerns.

Mai turn to Naru and decided to inform him about her vision. She explained everything down to the last detail. She even told him about her fears. How that woman was able to see her while the other spirits had remained oblivious to her presence. She even mentioned her fear of having a vision while she was awake.

He listened to everything calmly and attentively, not once interrupting her. When she was done speaking, he finally spoke up. "Your powers must be growing," he informed her somberly.

"And is that a good thing?" Mai asked, noticing his tone. She would have been excited at the prospect of having her powers growing since it would mean that she could be more useful in cases. However, it didn't seem like Naru was pleased at the implications.

Instead of answering, Naru looked at the wall behind her. Mai turned to find what he was looking at, only to have her eyes widen in shock

A large portrait of the raven haired woman was directly behind her. Every single detail matched the woman from her vision, down to the extravagant earrings that she had been wearing. Her eyes seemed to be staring right at them.

Mai could have sworn her eyes turned red in that moment.

Footsteps approached them. They both turned around and found Gene staring vacantly towards the portrait. His eyes flashed red as he turned to Mai. A small smirk made its way to his lips as he looked at her and then Masako. "Welcome SPR to Wakefield Manor," he grinned before slumping forward.

Naru reacted quickly and grabbed his brother before he could fall. He helped Gene stand as his eyes went back to normal.

"I don't know," Naru admitted, answering Mai's earlier question.

Gene panted for breath as he looked from his brother to the space that he last remembered being in. "I didn't even feel her approaching, Noll. I couldn't counter the possession," the medium admitted in distress. "This has never happened before."

Even Naru seemed disturbed by Gene's words. At that moment, Mai finally understood that this case was going to be very different from the previous ones. This spirit had noticed her presence in a vision, and it had even possessed Gene, a powerful medium, with no effort.

What had they gotten themselves into?


	11. Chapter 11

Mai and Masako sat on either side of their young client, Mr. Kane. He sat at the head of the table, while Naru sat towards the middle. Piles of food were lined along the table as an old man served them their dinner. The food would have served dozens of people, so it was too much for just them.

Mr. Kane was relatively young with gorgeous golden locks. He had a well-built form, which was accentuated by his black button down shirt. His crystal blue eyes were his most prominent features as well as his sharp jaw line. No doubt that he had several heads turning in his direction.

It was his foreign accent, though, that caught Mai's attention as she realized that he was also from England.

Masako didn't look at them as she ate her meal. She didn't speak unless spoked to, but it didn't seem that Mr. Kane or Naru had realized it. They were both immersed in a deep conversation regarding the case. However, the young man's attention was drawn to the two women in the room.

"Such beauty," He whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Mai smiled politely, while Masako gave him a sideways glance.

"SPR has hired such an exquisite pair," he said as his eyes roamed their figures. He took in every detail in their appearances from Masako's patterned kimono to Mai's key. His intense gaze made Mai nervous as she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. Masako hid her expression with the sleeve of her kimono.

"I would appreciate if the nature of our conversation returned to the incidents rather than my colleagues," Naru interjected pointedly. Unbothered by Naru's chilling tone, their client continued eyeing the two females.

"Indeed, my apologies my ladies. It wasn't my intention to make you uncomfortable, but I haven't seen women this beautiful in a long time. You see, with only the company of men, one does get lonely," he smiled charmingly.

Mai frowned as she finally realized that she hadn't seen a single female since arriving at the mansion. All the workers were men.

"Why only men?" Mai asked curiously.

"The ladies don't have a tendency of staying here long," he answered vaguely as his eyes locked with hers. "What about you? Would you be the exception Taniyama-san? Will you cure this man of his loneliness?" He asked as he bit his lower lip.

"I'm sure you can find other ways of alleviating your solitude. Other ways that don't involve my assistant," Naru once again interrupted him. He maintained his calm composure, but Mai noticed the tick of his eyebrow indicating his annoyance.

"Of course," Mr. Kane inclined his head respectfully. His eyes gave her one final once over before he returned to his previous discussions with Naru. Occasionally though, he would either glance at her or Masako.

As he once again became immersed in his conversation with Naru, Mai took the time to look around the elegant dining room. It was decorated antiquely, which gave the impression from a different era and foreign country. It seemed to be a mansion that had been constructed during the 18thcentury in England.

Brown eyes took in the elegance as she tried to calm her racing heart. She just couldn't shake off this odd sense of foreboding. She knew better than to trust the beauty of the mansion since the spirit had been very powerful.

So powerful that it had possessed Gene without him even realizing it. Something was also off about the whole situation with the women. Why did the women have a tendency to leave?

Not to mention Mr. Kane. Their handsome client made her uncomfortable. Her instincts warned her to be wary of him, and she would. She wanted to tell Naru about it, but something told her that he already knew this.

Masako suddenly sat upright as her eyes widened in fear. She gasped for breath as one of her hands moved to her throat, while the other grasped onto the edge of the table urgently.

Her body convulsed violently as Mai stood up to go help her. Naru gave her a warning glance as he held up his hand to stop Mai from going to her. Mai anxiously obeyed as she watched her friend worriedly.

Masako's eyes rolled to the back of her head, so the white part of her eyes were the only things that were visible.

"Masako?" Mai called out to her in concern.

The medium's gaze became transfixed on Mai. Her arm twitched as her lip turned upwards in a small smile. It was unnerving since she didn't have any pupils.

Naru approached Mai slowly while their client merely observed. He didn't seem fazed by Masako's possession, indicating that he was already used to this.

Masako tilted her neck at an odd angle that made an odd scrunching sound. Mai flinched at the sound, worried that the spirit was hurting Masako.

The table began shaking as the piles of food fell out of the plates and rolled towards the floor. Their drinks spilled as the plates clattered, though nobody paid attention to that. The lights flickered on and off at an escalating pace as Mai ducked when one of the plates flew towards her.

Just as suddenly as it happened, Masako dropped on the floor unconscious.

Like Gene had earlier.

Mai turned to their client, who was still unfazed. "Is she alright?" he asked as he looked at Masako casually. The young assistant frowned as he stood and made his way towards the unconscious medium. Mai ran to Masako's side and reached her before he did.

"She's fine," Mai answered defensively as she glanced at Naru. Her boyfriend was lost in thought as he looked at Masako. He was clearly as unnerved by it all as she was.

"I see Mistress Mary was anxious to see you again," Mr. Kane said as Mai looked up sharply at his words.

"M-Mistress Mary?" Mai asked as she grabbed onto Masako's hand.

"Yes," he nodded as Naru's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

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Lin drove in the pouring rain. The rain was relentless, so he had to drive cautiously. He couldn't really see what was in front of him, yet he didn't stop. He knew Naru would remain where he was. However, he had an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Takigawa kept trying to reach them via phone call. Unfortunately, none of their cell phones were working. Red flags went off on all of their heads, especially since they never found the person that had shot their tires and jammed their signal.

In addition, that powerful spirit was still around the area.

After several minutes of blindly driving in the rain, they were able to see a bright light flashing in the distance. Takigawa smiled since he recognized it as the restaurant's sign. Lin drove in that direction and expertly parked.

Unfortunately, they instantly noticed that the parking lot was empty.

"Are you sure they didn't park on the other side of the restaurant?" Yasu asked, hoping that they were still there.

"No, I remember parking here," Takigawa frowned as Lin's grip on the wheel tightened. The flashing sign from the restaurant turned off, and everyone tensed.

A man in a bright yellow raincoat got out of the restaurant and locked it.

"We should ask if he's seen where they went," Ayako said as she hoped that they hadn't left to the case. John agreed as he opened the door, uncaring that he got wet. The others watched with baited breaths.

The blond priest walked up to the man.

"Excuse me," John called out to him. The man turned to him as John tried not to wince at the sight of the bruises and dried blood in his face. "Our friends were here earlier, and I was wondering if you saw where they went. There were two young ladies and two identical young men. One of the females was wearing a kimono, and the other was a brunette with short hair."

The man eyed the priest and then the truck. He grinned as he turned back to John. "Yes, I saw them here earlier. I told them that this area floods when it rains, so they asked for the nearest hotel. They wanted to wait the rain out."

"Can you point us to where that hotel is?" John asked as he felt something off about the man.

"Certainly," he nodded as he gave them an address. John thanked him and went back to the van. Ayako wrapped a towel around him as she tried to warm him up. Lin's eyes followed the man's figure.

"He said that they were at a hotel," John informed them. "The man mentioned that the area floods because of the rain, and according to him, they wanted to wait it out."

"Great, where is this hotel?" Yasu asked eagerly, now relaxed that they hadn't gone on the case without them.

John turned to him somberly. "He lied."

"How did you-?" Lin interrupted Takigawa,

"I noticed that as well," the omnyoji said as he continued looking at the man, who limped towards the back of the store.

"Oh? Are you two human lie detectors now?" Yasu asked lightly, as he tried to hide his discomfort. If Lin and John said the man was lying, then he believed them. But this also disturbed him since he didn't know what that meant for Mai and the rest. "How do you know?"

"His injuries were caused by Naru or Gene," Lin answered as he opened the door of the vehicle. Like John, he didn't care that the rain soaked him. Takigawa frowned as he also got out of the van.

Lin had practically raised the twins, so if he said the injuries were from the twins, then they were.

But the question was why?

"Guess we'll find out soon," Yasu murmured to himself.

0000000000000000000000000000000000

Mai's eyes were wide open as she eyed the glass balcony door. The lightning illuminated the room as she sat up from her bed. The rain was relentless, which worried her. Mr. Kane had informed them that the rain often flooded the roads that led to the mansion. Which meant that the others wouldn't be able to reach them, and they wouldn't be able to leave either.

Mai knew that it wasn't wise for them to be there without the others. However, there was nothing they could do about it now.

She sighed as she turned to her sleeping companion, who had yet to awaken. She was physically fine now, which had Mai sighing in relief. She had been worried that the spirit's brusque movements had hurt Masako.

A soft knock got her attention, and she stood up quietly. She took a few silent steps towards the door and opened it quietly. It took Mai a few seconds to recognize that it was Naru.

Because his belongings were left in Lin's van, he was stuck sharing clothes with Gene. She hadn't noticed earlier since she had been preoccupied with other things. Now, though, she was able to admire him in Gene's navy blue shirt.

"Yes?" she asked him, trying not to make her ogling obvious. Naru's raised eyebrow indicated that it hadn't worked.

She blushed as his eyes glinted with amusement. "Gene's looking a bit pale," Naru informed her. "It seems that his encounter with the spirit drained him. He still hasn't woken up."

Mai frowned at that bit of information. Gene had been possessed by several spirits before, but he had never been unconscious for this long. Tired, yes, but not overly so. Naru's frown made it evident that he also found it strange.

She gave a backwards glance to Masako. She wondered if it was okay to leave her like that, especially since she had encountered a sudden possession.

"She'll be fine, Mai," Naru said as he grabbed her hand lightly. "Ayako and Takigawa's charms should protect her."

Mai sighed and nodded. She was scared to leave Masako alone, but she trusted monk and Ayako's work. Unfortunately, those charms weren't enough to protect both Gene and Masako from possession. Naru had given the charms to Masako, so that left Gene vulnerable. This fact scared Mai since she knew that Gene could easily be possessed again.

Mai shook away her thoughts as she quietly followed Naru to base. Her fists clenched and unclenched anxiously as she sought out Gene's form.

A frown marred her face as she noticed that Gene's skin was pale. His eyes were clenched shut as he moaned in discomfort. Mai exchanged glances with Naru as she sat beside Gene. She placed her hand on his forehead and winced.

"He's freezing," she grimaced as she turned to Naru. His skin was paler than usual as his lips took in a light shade of blue.

"He wasn't like that when I left him," Naru informed her as he also frowned.

Mai pressed her hands to Gene's cheeks in hopes of warming him up. Her mind was going at a million miles per hours as she tried pinpointing the reason for his illness. He had been fine up until the moment that he had been possessed. And even then it was strange.

His body always coveted her energy after his exhaustion, but it wasn't doing it now. No, at the moment, she felt oddly disconnected to him. It felt like a familiar weight was lifted off her shoulders, which was something far from comforting.

Then it dawned on her.

"Naru, I don't feel my connection to Gene," Mai whispered in distress as she turned back to look at him. Naru's jaw clenched as he tried to mask his concern. "Without this connection, he will-"

She didn't finish since she knew that Naru understood perfectly well what would happen. Gene's soul wouldn't have enough energy to maintain a connection with his body, and he would suffer death once more. This time, however, they didn't know what would happen to him.

Mai looked up when Naru carried his brother on his back. She wanted to question him, but she refrained from doing so. Instead, she grabbed the blankets and followed after Naru.

The solemn twin carried his brother to the couch by the fire place in hopes of warming Gene up. Mai wrapped the blankets around him as she realized that Gene had become silent. Even his expression wasn't as pained as before. He seemed to be blissfully asleep.

Unfortunately, she realized that this wasn't a good sign. Gene had fallen further into whatever sleep he was in.

"Naru, I think I can reach him in the astral plane," Mai said without thinking. Naru frowned as he turned to her, clearly wondering where she got the sudden idea. "He's not sleeping, and you know that. I'm afraid that his spirit and body are having a difficult time reconnecting."

Naru was clearly against the idea, but the eerily serene expression on his brother's face made him waver. "Mai, you've never done it without him. It's one thing to have a vison, and it's another thing to wander in the astral plane," Naru told her.

"I know, and I also know I can do it. It's worth a try," Mai tried to coax him, but he frowned and looked away from her. He quietly moved away from her and sat by the monitors. His fingers began their tapping as he made himself busy by looking into the footage from their earlier encounter with the spirit.

Mai understood what he was doing. He was ignoring her request. He wasn't going to budge on the subject. She pursed her lips as she approached him from behind.

He tensed when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She rested her chin on his shoulder as she closed her eyes calmly. "Please, let me do this. I need to help him."

He furrowed his brows as he sighed. "Listen-"

"No, you listen. I know I can do this. I just need you to trust me," she whispered in his ear as his expression softened. "I can't let him die. Not again. He doesn't deserve it."

"And I can't have you risking your life," he retorted as he turned to face her. Their foreheads touched as she opened her eyes to look into his concerned blue orbs. "We don't know what we're up against here, and Gene won't be there to guide you."

"But I need to do this on my own. I can't keep depending on others. Please, Oliver, I have to try," she begged as he sighed in defeat.

"I can't stop you even if I wanted to," he said as she smiled. She kissed him gently and pulled back. "But Mai, I want you to be careful."

She gave him a thumbs up as she lay on the couch. He grabbed her hand gently. She intertwined their fingers as she felt the slight shaking of his hand, the only physical proof that he was afraid.

The brunette closed her eyes as she focused on her breathing. She heard a guiding voice that sounded strangely like Gene telling her what to do.

Within moments, she was in the astral plane. Her soul disconnected from her body as the scenery behind her disappeared in a thick fog and darkness.

Her gut clenched in warning as she witnessed several spirits in the mansion. Despite being intimidated by them, she ignored their presence as she bravely searched for Gene. She took a deep breath as she passed one that was particularly frightening. It was a woman that sat on the dining table. Bloody tears spilled from her eyes as she gave Mai a sideways glance.

Mai squeaked as she rapidly walked away. "Gene, where are you?" She whispered as her eyes scanned everywhere she could. She wandered around aimlessly as she desperately sought out her friend.

She would never admit this to anyone, but she was afraid of walking in the astral plane. It was dark, cold and unpredictable.

The brunette stopped walking when she heard humming from one of the rooms. Her knees trembled as she forced herself to walk towards the sound. The sound got louder as she approached the source.

Mai stopped outside a large wooden door as she took a deep breath and pushed the door open slowly. In the dark room, she could see the back of a woman. She was clearly the one humming.

It was the same woman with the red dress that Mai had seen in her vision. The one that had possessed Gene earlier. She had most likely also been the one that had possessed Masako earlier.

In her arms she held Gene as she rocked him back and forth. Mai bit her lip as she took a hesitant step into the room. The woman slowly turned as she released Gene and stood. Her hair was loose this time as her lips curled up mischievously.

She disappeared and reappeared in front of her in the blink of an eye. Mai took a hesitant step back and gasped when the woman's eyes turned white.

"What do you want?" Mai asked shakily as she briefly glanced at Gene.

She didn't answer as she cupped Mai's cheek. The brunette frowned as she pulled back roughly. This displeased the spirit as it let out a screech.

Mai ran towards Gene's side and grabbed him. "Come on, Gene, wake up!" She shook his unconscious form as the woman's beautiful face morphed into a disfigured creature. Mai felt dread as she chanted the nine puts. "Rin, Pyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen"

Not waiting for a reaction, Mai carried the unconscious medium on her back. She grunted at the weight as she rapidly ran away. The creature growled as it swiped at her leg. Mai winced as she reopened the leg injury she had from the previous case.

She closed her eyes as she willed herself to return back to her body. However, the spirit once again reached her.

Mai screamed as it tackled her towards the ground. Gene's body dropped as Mai kept her eyes on the figure in front of her.

"Please, let us go," Mai whispered as she looked at her pleadingly. "We can help you. That's why we're here," she said as she tried to reason with the spirt.

Instead of answering her, it grabbed Mai's arms and dug her nails into her skin. Mai cried out in pain as she looked into the spirit's soulless eyes.

"Mai!" Gene called out to her as he chanted urgently. The spirit screeched and disappeared. Her eyes looked into his as she let out a sigh in relief. "Thank you, Gene. I-"

Gene placed his hand on her forehead and pushed her.

Mai didn't get to react since she felt herself falling, and then she promptly opened her eyes.

She was once again in base with Naru at her side. Gene sat up as he looked around a bit disoriented. "Naru, I did it. I told you I could do it," she smiled proudly.

Unfortunately, her smile died when she took in their identical grim expressions.

"What is it?" Mai asked as she felt a stinging pain in her arms. Her eyes were instantly drawn to her arms, which had puncture holes from where the spirit had grabbed her. "W-what?" She asked in alarm. Her wound bled as Gene stood beside his brother.

"Noll-"

"I know," Naru interrupted Gene as his jaw tensed.

"I don't understand. The spirit shouldn't have been able to hurt me in the astral plane," Mai absentmindedly said as Gene grabbed the first aid kit. "This has never happened before," she said as she shivered in fright.

Naru didn't respond as he took the first aid kit from Gene. He robotically treated her injuries. She winced when he sprayed alcohol to disinfect the injury, His expression was colder than usual, and his movements were rough.

"Ow! Naru?" She asked hesitantly knowing that he was unsettled. "Why-"

"It's not a spirit," Gene interrupted her somberly as he looked into the fire place. "God this makes so much sense now."

"What makes sense?" Mai asked as she looked from Naru to Gene. Troubled twins was never a good sign. Had it been a different situation, she would have marveled at their identical expressions. However, she understood that whatever was happening, it was serious enough to make both twins tense.

"It's a demon," Naru informed her as he tightened her bandage. His whole posture was rigid as his eyes met her widened orbs.

Mai's heart dropped at his words. She hadn't even registered the pain from her injuries as she mentally cursed their luck. A spirit they could have handled. But a demon? They were way out of their league without the others.


End file.
